Front Page Drive In News
by A Sideways Smile
Summary: With Dallas Winston put in his place, Tim Shepard has bigger fish to fry. The Tiber Street Tigers are moving in and there's dissention within the ranks of the Shepard gang. The tides turn when the dissenter might be Tim's own brother.
1. Proper Introductions

**Disclaimer:** Only Susie Hinton owns The Outsiders. The song "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage" belongs to Panic at the Disco, and the title of our story comes from the one and only Bob Seger. We appreciate all of their contributions, and we thank them immensely.

**Note:** This is our sidefic for our story "Tender is the Night." For maximum enjoyment, you may want to read that one first, though it shouldn't be required. This story begins in correspondence with Chapter 29 of "Tender." Enjoy!

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_I believe this may call for a proper introduction,  
And well, don't you see?  
I'm the narrator and this is just the prologue._

The constant back and forth of pointless hits had been going on since the moment they had met. It started with a skin on skin fight when Dally came tromping into his territory and making trouble with every guy he had in his crew. They were friends, sure, in the loosest of definitions, but their friendship was anything but normal.

Dally had this thing where he liked to mess with Tim's car. As far as Tim could tell, it was the only thing other than his brother and sister he could mess with that he could both really screw up and piss him off. He'd taken out the headlights, taken out the side mirrors and his latest attempt at serious damage was to key the length of the driver's side.

Tim had been ready to knock Dally's head off when he saw it. Even more so when he realized he'd given the shithead and his girlfriend a ride after he'd done it. In hindsight, he supposed he should have been expecting it; he had kissed that little broad when she was drunk one night. But hell, that was all in good fun. Tim had been looking for a fight the night he'd kissed her and Dally was more than willing to oblige once he'd walked out on the sight. No matter how it happened, though, a fight was a fight and Dally was always up for one.

That's why they were buddies.

Tim was ready to take it to the next level, though. Fights were always good, but they weren't always enough. He didn't have the cash to get the scratch in the paint fixed yet and Lord knew that Dally would only do more damage by the time he'd gotten it fixed. It was time to outplay the son of a bitch and he'd laid opportunity in the palm of Tim's hand. Cheating on your girlfriend never got you anywhere, especially when Tim Shepard was watching.

Ellie O'Hare always flew under his radar until the last few months. He'd never known more than the girl's name before she wound up in the hospital and Dally started messing around with her. Curly used to yammer on about her, and if Tim kept the facts straight over the years, Curly used to tease her when they were just in grade school together. Sloppy seconds weren't his style, especially seconds from a mental list of boys on the East Side, but Dally had really fucked up and Tim was willing to reconsider to get under his skin.

With the hard work done for him, all Tim had to do was spill the beans about Dally's infidelities and ask her out before anyone else did. So, he broke the news to her and asked her out to Buck's New Years party. It was all perfect timing and Tim enjoyed the fact that he knew Dally was still hard up for this chick, even if he did cheat on her. It was going to piss him off to know that she was going out with his rival.

He didn't expect Dally to go out of his mind and jump Curly about it, though. He wasn't all that concerned for Curly's sake because the kid could take care of himself and if he couldn't, then he shouldn't get himself in the situation to begin with. No, Tim was more concerned because it reflected poorly on a gang leader when he had to hear from one of his boys that his idiot brother was all bloodied up by that asshole Winston.

"I didn't think he was gonna smash my face into that wall like he tried to do," Curly complained, still holding a towel of ice to his swelling cheek.

"'Tried?'" Tim asked incredulously. "It looks like he did a pretty good job do it. I'm sure the wall doesn't look half as bad as your face does right now."

"It was the Dingo, Tim," Curly said, still trying to weasel his way out of responsibility for his own actions. "I didn't think he was coming to jump me because of something _you_ did."

"That's your problem," Tim replied simply. "You don't think about this shit."

Curly shut his mouth and leaned back on the couch in their living room.

Tim thought he had won that round and sighed loudly when Curly opened his trap again.

"Is Ellie really going out with you on Friday?"

Tim blew a smoke ring and studied his little brother. He wasn't blind to the fact that the kid had a crush on Dally's girl, but he didn't really think it was much of one.

"Did you think she'd turn me down?" he asked.

Curly shrugged. "I didn't think she would say yes."

"It ain't a big deal. It's just something to get a rise outta Dal and she's all for it."

Curly looked at him skeptically. "How do you know that Dally is even going to give a shit? I thought he was through with her."

"Look at your _face,_ Curly. He fucking cares that she's going out with me," he said, rubbing it in. "Besides, she knows that's all I'm doing this for and she's mad at him. Now if we have a little fun along the way …"

The most Tim had ever interacted with Ellie was when he kissed her to get a fight out of Dally a few months back, but when he first approached her with the idea of going out to piss off Dally, he liked her well enough not to regret the decision. She seemed pretty unsure of him, but then again, she was just a kid, just a little older than Curly. She was pretty quick, though, and she seemed to know the score pretty well. He almost hated breaking the news to her that she and Dal were quits, but he figured the end result would be worth it.

He wasn't really expecting such an immediate reaction when she stopped by the Dingo and ended up in that fight with Sylvia. He hadn't even planned for either of them to show up, but somehow the timing worked in his favor on both counts. He could tell Ellie was a pistol from the few times he had talked to her, but he'd never sized her up to being the kind to girl to get into a catfight like she had. Sylvia probably hadn't either when Ellie sprung on her. Whether or not the party went well didn't really matter anymore. The sight of those two fighting had been worth it all.

"Do you know where she lives?" Tim asked Curly.

"Down off Boston Street," he replied, perhaps a little too quickly.

"You know the number?"

"I think it's 380-something. You know where Steve Randle lives? She lives a couple houses over."

"How the hell do you know all that?" Tim asked.

Curly shrugged. "Because I do."

"Because you stalk her," he replied with a taunting grin.

"Because _you_ tell me to keep an eye on shit and I _do_," Curly argued.

"Yeah, I mean shit like the Tigers and Brumly and Winston," Tim replied over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. "Not following your dream girl around."

"Shut up, Tim," Curly called after him.

XXX

The bell above the door jingled when he walked in. He looked around and a plump woman, filing her nails, snapped her gum in his direction.

"Need help, son?" she asked in a deep southern drawl.

"Is Ellie here?" he asked, sauntering up to her.

She stood a little straighter and looked him up and down.

"What do you want with her?" she asked, setting her nail file down and focusing her attention on him completely.

"I just need to talk to her," he said, already annoyed.

"What about? She don't need no more trouble," she said.

Tim looked down an aisle and back at the stout woman.

"I ain't here to give her any trouble. She's a friend of mine," he said, standing back from her and trying to look like a saint in hoodlum's clothing. Christ, this wasn't even her mother and he was getting the third degree.

Her face scrunched up, her lips pursed together and her eyes narrowed and looking him over, sizing him up. She did this for a good ten seconds before she called Ellie's name.

"Don't you mess with her now," the woman warned. "She's a good kid and has enough to deal with."

"I ain't messing with nobody, ma'am," he replied. "Just want to talk to her."

"Sure," she muttered.

Tim had a few choice words for the old broad, but Ellie walked out of a back room just in time.

"Hi, Tim," she said slowly, apparently surprised to see him there.

Tim met her halfway down the aisle, far enough away from the woman at the cash register. He was sure she wanted to listen in on their conversation.

"Who's the old hag back there?" he asked, gesturing back to the lady at the front counter.

"Oh, that's just Bobbie." Ellie looked over his shoulder at her and smiled, so the broad must have been watching them like a hawk. "Did she give you a hard time?"

"I thought she was gonna frisk me," he replied, glancing back at her. She still stood there popping that gum and staring after them. "She seems to think I'm gonna give you a hard time or something."

"Well, are you?" Ellie asked, rearranging cans of soup on the shelves beside them that didn't need rearranging.

"I just stopped by to make sure we were still on for tomorrow night," he said, picking up a can of soup and tossing it in the air.

Ellie hesitated and busied herself with more cans.

Tim put the can of soup he was tossing around back on the shelf and looked down at her. "You know this ain't nothing personal, right?"

Ellie shrugged. "Yeah, I know." The way she said it, he wondered if she took offense to that. He wondered if he should try another tactic.

"Well, I guess it's a little personal," he went on. "Winston thought it'd be a good idea to jump Curly about all of this."

"He jumped Curly?" She seemed genuinely surprised at the information.

"Yeah, jumped him right outside the Dingo. That place got a lot of action this week," he added with a grin. He dropped the grin when she blushed and went back to rearranging soup.

She wasn't making his job very easy. She wasn't supposed to back out of their date. That wasn't the plan.

"It's not gonna be a big deal," Tim tried to reason. "It'll just be a little party at Buck's, some music, some dancing, the clock strikes midnight and I drive you home. That's it. It'll be fun. I know you dated Dal, but you remember what fun is, right?"

He lightened up a little when she cracked a smile at that, albeit small and modest, but not forced. If he could stick to jokes bashing Dally, they would probably get along just fine. He looked up when he saw the youngest Curtis brother walking towards them. Tim could never remember the kid's name, but Curly seemed to think the kid was all right. Then again, Curly was sitting at home with another concussion and a swollen face.

He nodded at the kid. "Curtis."

He figured he may as well leave while he was ahead and looked back at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, Ellie. Pick you up around eight," he said, walking away and leaving no room for argument. Telling from the look on her face she still wasn't sure of it, but she didn't question it.

The only thing left was the party itself and seeing Dally's reaction firsthand. It was going to be one hell of a New Year.

_Swear to shake it up if you swear to listen,  
__Oh, we're still so young,  
__Desperate for attention._

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A/N: It will be one hell of a year; 1966 promises to hold a lot of drama. Are Tim and Ellie going to be able to hold out given the fact that they are essentially using each other? Stay tuned.

PS: Happy Good Fic Day!


	2. Happy 1966?

**Disclaimer:** S.E. Hinton owns the world; we just play in it. The lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne" belong to the poet Robert Burns. 

_Should old acquaintance be forgot  
And never brought to mind?_

Tim led her into Buck's bar as teens crowded into the small space, readying themselves for the clock to strike midnight. Ellie was well aware of the stares that followed them as Tim directed her to the bar.

He leaned close to her ear and yelled over the music, "Stay here. I'll kick somebody out of a table so we can sit down."

Ellie nodded and noticed Tim nod at a tall guy further down at the bar that she had never seen before. As soon as Tim was gone, the new guy sidled up beside her and gave her a broad smile. Ellie was suspicious, but he was too handsome not to return the smile.

He held out a friendly hand which enveloped her own when she shook it.

"You must be Ellie," he shouted over the music, but she could still barely hear him.

She nodded, realizing she was still grinning at him like an idiot. She stopped. She also noticed she was blushing. She tried to stop that too.

He pointed to himself with his free hand, his other still gripping hers. "I'm Monty."

"Are you new around here?" Ellie shouted back. "I don't think I've seen you here before." She didn't think she hadn't; she knew she hadn't. He was too cute to forget.

His grin widened and another stupid smile was back on her face.

"Nah, I'm not new here," he said. "Me and Tim've been pals for a while. Can I get you a drink?"

Ellie nodded slowly, still wondering who Monty was as he ordered a few drinks from the frazzled woman behind the bar. If he was such good friends with Tim, she would have seen him somewhere at least. His gang wasn't all that big.

"Back off, Monty," Tim said, pushing past guys and girls to get back to the bar.

"Just introducing myself," he replied, still smiling.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Tim said. Turning to Ellie, he asked, "How long's he been shaking your hand?"

Ellie quickly pulled her hand out of Monty's and Tim grinned.

"That's what I thought," he said, punching Monty in the shoulder. "You bought her a drink too, didn't you?"

Monty shrugged, picking up a couple beers off the counter. He kept one for himself and gave the other to Tim. He handed Ellie a bottle the bartender sat on the bar. "It's just a Coke."

Ellie noticed Tim grin at Monty and briefly wondered if she was the butt of some joke.

Taking a swig from his bottle, Monty said to Tim, "Hey, that's just what I do. Can't help it that it works for me and not you. Very nice to meet you, Ellie." With that, Monty turned and was lost in the crowd.

Ellie stared after him, wondering what had just happened.

"I've got a table over here," Tim said, interrupting her thoughts and pointing across the room.

He led the way, parting the groups of kids and pulling Ellie along behind him by her hand. Ellie glanced over her shoulder, wanting one more look at Monty, but her search was in vain; she'd lost sight of him. 

When they reached the table, Ellie thought she saw Tim pull out her chair just a bit, but it happened so fast she wasn't sure. She pulled off her coat and hung it on her chair before she sat down.

"How's your Coke?" Tim asked.

"Oh." Realizing she hadn't taken a drink yet, she took a sip. "Good, thanks."

Tim was silently drinking his beer while Ellie sat awkwardly beside him with her pop.

"So," she said, her eyes still scanning the room, "who's Monty?"

Tim set his beer down and shrugged. "Old friend of mine. Hope he didn't make you feel bad, buying you a Coke instead of a beer. It's his way of trying to be funny."

"I don't think I've ever seen him around before," she said.

Tim shook his head. "Probably not. He stays pretty low-key most of the time."

"But he's in your gang?"

"Sure."

Ellie pondered that for a moment and was surprised to spot Monty a couple tables over. She hadn't even noticed him sit down. He was flanked by a couple of girls, but that didn't surprise her. He looked up as she was staring and gave her a wink. Ellie hid her smile by taking a drink. She couldn't believe someone who looked like that lived on her side of town and she had never even known.He was going to give Soda a run for his money.

"You know him pretty well?" she asked.

Tim nodded. "I trust him more than most anyone."

"Even Curly?" Ellie asked with a smile.

Tim lost the small grin he had had for most of the night, narrowing his eyes at Ellie, and she dropped her smile faster than Dally had dropped her. She was starting to feel comfortable around Tim, but she didn't know how much she could joke around with him. The realization that she hardly knew him hit her hard right then and her stomach started doing flips all over again.

Tim set his beer back on the table and leaned back in his seat. "Damn it."

"What?" she asked, resisting the urge to scoot her chair away from him.

"I owe that little shit five bucks now."

"Who?" Ellie couldn't keep up with him.

"Curly," Tim replied. He shook his head and his grin was back, however slight it was. "Boy, was he pissed when he heard you were going out with me tonight. All week he said you wouldn't go through with it, and then when I was leaving, he swore that you'd talk about him all night long. I told him there wasn't a chance, and he said he would bet me over it."

Ellie smiled in relief but blushed at the thought of Curly talking about her to Tim. Lord knew what kinds of things he said to him. "Well, I won't tell him if you won't."

Tim nodded. "You've got a deal."

He glanced away from her and she noticed the slightly amused look on his face turned stony all of a sudden. Ellie followed his gaze and groaned inwardly at the sight of Dally staggering towards them, a bottle of booze held tightly in his hand.

Tim leaned close to her ear. "Ready for the fun to begin?"

Ellie sank further back in her chair, both hands gripping the bottle of Coke so tightly, she thought she might bust it by accident. In theory, a date with Tim wasn't such a bad idea. In reality, however, a drunken Dallas Winston made her nervous.

"Hey, Winston," Tim greeted him. "Shit-faced as usual, I see."

"Shepard," he replied. "Slummin' as usual, I see."

Ellie didn't look up at him. She didn't want to and she knew if she did she might cry. She wasn't stupid and knew that he was about to talk trash about her as though she wasn't even there. He'd done it a hundred times before about other girls right in front of her. It had never bothered her until it was her he was trying to upset.

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to get her into the sack, I'll tell you that much," Dally said.

She set the bottle on the table, contemplating smashing the end of it off and wielding it in his face. Maybe that would shut him up for once.

"Well, unlike you, Dal, I'm something of a gentleman. Or so I've been told," Tim replied. 

"Yeah, well, I don't think Ellie likes gentlemen too much, do ya, El?" 

There was a couple of seconds of silence, but she still didn't look up at him. 

"I don't know, Tim. I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, she's a tease more than anything."

Ellie swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Tim's reply was calm, maybe too calm based on the fact that her already precarious reputation was being ripped apart right in front of her. All he did was call him an asshole. That made the lump in her throat grow about two sizes.

"She's a tease, but once her engine gets started, whoa, buddy, you better watch out," Dally said, letting out a low whistle. "But I guess you already know that, don't you, Shepard? She seems to like to make out with guys outside of Buck's."

"Just though I'd show her what a real man tastes like," Tim said.

Ellie made the mistake of glancing up at Tim at that moment, and she didn't miss the coy grin on his face, nor did she forget why he kissed her that night. All he wanted was a fight with Dally, just like he wanted now. Once again she was the pawn in some stupid game between Tim and Dally, and she felt sick at the thought of being stuck in the middle again.

"You two must have some wild plans for tonight 'cause I ain't never seen this kid dressed up like this."

Ellie looked up at him for the first time. He eyed what he could see of her outfit and wore the smuggest grin she'd ever seen him wear. Tears stung the back of her eyes, and she knew she was fighting a losing battle with him. 

"You have fun playing dress up?" he asked, winking. He looked back at Tim. "You got a room rented tonight? If you want, I could take her outside and get her warmed up for you."

Scooting her chair out, she got away from Dally and Tim as fast as she could. She wasn't going to sit there and wait for Dally to call her a whore in front of everyone, and she wasn't going to wait for Tim to defend her. He didn't look like he was planning on it, anyway. 

XXX

Slamming the bathroom door shut behind her, Ellie took another shaking breath. When Dally started in on her, she told herself she wouldn't cry. She swore she wouldn't let him get the best of her. She was angry when she blinked and felt the tears on her face.

"Don't tell me you're crying over that asshole," came a girl's voice from beside her.

Ellie jumped at the voice and suddenly wished Buck had more than the single bathroom in the first floor of the roadhouse. She quickly wiped her cheeks and turned to see Sylvia checking her makeup in the mirror.

"Oh, sorry," Ellie mumbled, turning to leave.

"Don't worry about it,' Sylvia said flatly, placing her lipstick back in her purse. "I was just finishing up."

Ellie stepped awkwardly to the side to let Sylvia pass, but her stomach plummeted when the other girl stopped at the door.She didn't want a rematch of their fight a few days before.

"Hey, it's no hard feelings about me and Dal, right?" Sylvia asked.

Ellie widened her eyes and looked at the girl, surprised by her attempt at an apology. She wasn't dumb enough to believe Sylvia would actually say she was sorry for anything.

"I mean, I don't even know you, so it wasn't nothin' personal, you know?" she said.

Ellie swallowed hard, surprised Sylvia wasn't trying to jump her, especially considering there weren't any witnesses in the bathroom.

"All right. Good," Sylvia added as she turned to leave.

"Sorry about the other day, at the Dingo," Ellie said lamely. "I didn't … I mean, I just … sorry."

Sylvia shrugged, a wry smile on her face. "I guess if it were me in that situation, I woulda fought too. Didn't know you had it in you, but I guess I still won, didn't I?"

If she weren't speechless before, Ellie certainly was after that comment.

"It was a good try, though," Sylvia offered, opening the door.

"You still lost," Ellie blurted.

Sylvia turned back to her and brushed Ellie's scratched cheek with her finger. "I don't think so."

"You're with him, aren't you?" Sylvia didn't respond, and Ellie continued. "Then you're the one that lost."

Sylvia dropped her hand from the door, and Ellie jumped when it slammed shut in spite of herself.

"Listen, honey," Sylvia said, her purse under one arm and her other hand on her hip. Ellie didn't know the stance could look as threatening as it could when she did it. "I always get what I want, and I wanted Dally." Sylvia walked over to Ellie, cornering her in the small restroom and towering over her in her high heels. "I always win, kid."

Ellie kept her mouth closed, thanking her lucky stars when Sylvia turned around and walked out the door. Ellie locked the door as quickly as she could with her trembling fingers and felt the tears swell up in her chest again. Leaning against the door, she didn't know if the night could get much worse than it already was.

Pushing herself away from the door, she stood in front of the small, cracked mirror in the dark and dingy room. The crack in the mirror made her face look distorted, making her nose sit crooked on her flushed face, and the lighting of the room made her makeup look more awful than she originally thought it was. Making her stupid scar and scratches from Sylvia's nails show up even deeper than she knew they were. She looked like she'd been drug through dirt and she felt like it, too. Crying wasn't helping and when Ellie swiped at her eyes, it only smeared her mascara. She turned on the water and grabbed a fistful of toilet paper, hoping to fix things before they got worse.

Things weren't going too great, and Ellie nearly panicked when there was a knock on the door.

She cleared her throat and waited a moment before replying. "Just a minute. I'll be out in just a minute."

"It's me, Kathy," came the voice on the other side.

"Sorry, Kathy," Ellie said, dabbing desperately at her ruined makeup. "I'll be out shortly."

"Can I just come in, Ellie? I think Two-Bit's itching to talk to you, but I doubt you wanna talk to him."

Ellie sighed at the thought of Two-Bit getting involved. She'd had just about as much as she could take when it came to the guys bugging her about Dally and now about Tim. She slowly unlocked the door and let her in.

"You don't look so hot," Kathy said.

Ellie leaned against the sink and resisted the urge to cry some more. She kept her mouth shut and just shook her head. Kathy only nodded a reply and began digging through her purse.

"Who was being the bigger asshole over there?" Kathy asked, pulling out a handkerchief and running water over the corner of it. She took Ellie's chin in her left hand while she dabbed at her running mascara with the handkerchief. "Dallas or Tim?"

"Both, I guess," Ellie said, trying to clear the lump in her throat, thinking about how Tim just sat there while Dally made fun of her. What did she expect him to do, though? Jump up and be her knight in shining armor? Yeah, right. "Mostly Dally, though. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised."

Kathy shrugged. "That's just how they are. Ain't nothin' we can do about it 'cause boys just don't listen."

Ellie sniffed again, trying to compose herself as best she could. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I passed Sylvia out there. Was she being her usual self?"

Ellie nodded slightly. "At least we didn't get into a fight this time," she said quietly.

Kathy smiled. "You're practically a legend as far as the girls on this side of town are concerned. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind Sylvia so much because she leaves Two-Bit alone, but boy, oh boy. Most girls would love to do what you did the other day."

"It didn't turn out so great for me, though," Ellie said. "I didn't really win."

Kathy shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, does it? Sylvia wasn't even with Dally earlier. She was dancing with that jerk, Will Bridges, just a little while ago."

Ellie sighed at that information; she had wondered where Sylvia was when Dally was harassing her. She had let the girl intimidate her for no reason.

"There. That looks a little better."

Ellie looked in the mirror and saw Kathy had done a much better job than she could have done with her unsteady hands.

"Thanks, Kathy."

"No problem," she replied, back to plundering through her purse. "But we're not done yet. We'll get you touched up and back to the party."

Kathy pulled out a tube of eyeliner and held it out for Ellie.

"That's all right," Ellie replied slowly. "I didn't do a great job earlier."

"Kid, it's Buck's and it's a party. I'll show you how it's done."

Ellie hesitantly closed her eyes and let Kathy have at it. She peeked a few times, impressed with her handiwork. 

"Close 'em," she said, holding a brush in her hands.

Ellie closed her eyes again and Kathy went back to work, brushing eye shadow lightly on her eyelids. When she opened her eyes, she looked at the light green Kathy brushed on for her and smiled back at her reflection. It was a lot of make up, but Kathy had made it look much better than Ellie ever could have. Kathy smiled brightly and she wondered why she wasn't better friends with Two-Bit's girlfriend. Maybe it was because she was older and hung with a much different crowd. It was too bad; Kathy was exactly the kind of girlfriend she needed when things got so awful with the guys.

"You'll knock their socks off," Kathy said with a wink, a gesture that seemed to come straight from Two-Bit himself.

"Thank you. I tried to do this earlier and it was a disaster," Ellie said.

"It just takes practice. You'll be okay," she said. "Ready to head back out? I'm afraid to leave Two-Bit too long. Lord knows what he'll get himself into."

Ellie took a breath and took one last look in the mirror. Confidence seemed to easily be painted on, and that was enough for the time being. 

"I'm ready," she said.

XXX

"Has the shit hit the fan yet?" Monty asked.

Tim shook his head and leaned against the wall.

"Did she cry?" 

"Probably," Tim replied. "Dally was slingin' a lot of shit her way. She took a lot of it, though."

Monty smiled, flashing his obnoxious pearly whites, and said, "I told you not to get mixed up with her. She's, what, fifteen maybe? She's a kid, Tim."

Tim knew all of this. He'd considered it, weighed his options, and figured what sort of shit he was going to have to put up with to make this work. Yes, Ellie was younger than he was, and sure, he should have let Curly spring on her when Dally dumped her, but then nothing would get under Dally's skin like Tim dating her himself. On the first date, Dally was already trying to embarrass her and get her to call it quits. Ellie getting up and walking away from it pissed him off, but Tim figured he couldn't really expect her not to, especially considering Dally's low blows.

"Kid or not, it's already pissing Dally off," Tim said, lighting up a Lucky Strike. "He's already trying to scare her out of it."

"You really think Winston had it this bad for some little broad like her?" Monty asked, skeptical. "Dallas Winston?"

Tim shrugged. "Even if he didn't, she's friends with the Curtis gang and trust me, it's eating him alive to see her go out with me. I bet it's killing all of 'em."

"Why are you trying to start shit with them?" Monty asked with a sigh. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside him. "Tim, our beef's with the Tigers. With Bridges, remember that?"

Tim stared back at him, getting more and more irritated. "Yeah, I fucking remember that and we'll deal with that when the time comes, and that ain't now. Right now, I gotta do something about Dally. Remember what that bastard did to my car?"

Monty chuckled. "Yeah, I remember what he did. Kinda funny, since you gave him and that chick a ride here after he did it."

Tim ground his teeth together. Sometimes he couldn't remember why he and Monty were such good buddies. "You wouldn't think it was all that fucking hilarious if it was yours."

"True," Monty said, "but I wouldn't have driven that asshole anywhere in the first place."

"Yeah, yeah," Tim replied. "It was a lapse in judgment."

"Like this?" Monty asked, gesturing to the bathroom door in front of them. "Even if she's in it to get back at Dally, too, don't mean she ain't gonna get all clingy."

"Don't you have a date or two to entertain?" Tim asked.

Monty grinned. "I suppose I do."

"You're a real slick bastard," Tim said, cracking a grin. 

"It's my nature. Just don't do nothin' I wouldn't do, buddy," Monty replied, disappearing into the crowds.

"That's not saying much," Tim called after him.

Years later, the bathroom door finally opened and Ellie and Mathews' girl walked out of the bathroom. 

Ellie stopped just a few feet from him and stared up at him, a nervous look on her face. Kathy squeezed by them.

"Have fun, you two," she said, a teasing note in her voice.

She walked off, and Tim handed Ellie's coat and bag out to her. 

"Sorry about all that earlier," he said when she took them from him.

Fleetingly, her eyes met his and then looked away. 

"He's just being himself," she acknowledged, her tone flat.

Tim scratched his eyebrow with his thumbnail. This wasn't going to work if she kept this attitude up, and he was losing his patience.

"Listen, he's just a lousy drunk. You can't let his shit get to you. You just sit there and laugh it off and he gets bored," he told her. 

She opened her mouth, her eyes finally determinedly set on his, and he swore she was about to say something smart to him, but she looked away again. 

"Hey," he said, stepping closer to her.

"What?" she asked, looking up again.

"He ain't makin' fun of you just for the fun of it," he said. "He's jealous as hell."

She smiled, a little one, but a smile nonetheless. 

"Don't you have anything better to do than make him so mad?" she asked.

"Not tonight," he said. 

"What did he do when I left?" she asked hesitantly.

"He told me to go to hell, I told him to grow a pair, and he and his bottle of bourbon went off, probably to find a fight with Bridges seeing as how Dal's already lost his date for the evening," Tim told her.

Tim thought his ears deceived him when she started laughing. 

"That sounds about right," she said. 

"Wanna head back out there?" he asked, reaching for her hand just to see what she would do.

To his surprise, she slipped hers into his without anymore hesitation and said, "I'm ready."

XXX

"Ten, nine, eight …" 

Everyone started counting down to midnight, and Ellie took a deep breath. Tim was standing behind her as she sat up on a barstool waiting for 1965 to turn into 1966. 

"Three, two, one … Happy New Year!"

The room exploded with hoots, cheers, and the shrill scream of noisemakers going off all over the place.

Tim's hand slid around her waist and she turned to face him. His eyes were a startling dark blue, and she found herself comparing his eyes to Dally's icy clear ones. It seemed strange to her that Dally's eyes never looked as warm as Tim's did right then.

"He's watching," he said, nodding his head to the side so slightly she almost missed it. "And he's alone," he added with a grin.

She licked her lips and closed her eyes, letting him lean down to meet her. His kiss was warm and inviting, causing her heart to flutter unexpectedly. When he pulled away, she found herself wanting to follow. 

"Happy New Year, Ella," she thought to herself. 

_But seas between us broad have roared  
__Since auld lang syne._

* * *

A/N: Will it be a happy new year? We'll have to see about that ... 


	3. Paralyzed

**Disclaimer: We do not own Susie Hinton's boys or the world she created, we just play. We also do not own "Shiver" by Maroon 5.**

**This chapter is a missing scene following chapter 31 of _Tender Is The Night_.**

* * *

_I shiver when I hear your name  
Think about you but it's not the same._

The wind whipped around the side of the roadhouse, driving rain into her face and plastering her hair to her cheek. She leaned against the wet brick wall listening for Dally to get back into the car he stole and disappear. She was shaking to her core, afraid that he might run after her and force her back into that car with him. The engine roared to life and she heard gravel being flung as the tires kicked it out from underneath them. She waited until she couldn't hear the car over the rain before she let herself relax even a little bit.

Ellie's legs felt like jelly, and it was taking all the strength she had to stand upright and not collapse in the puddle she was standing in. Her eyes burned with tears and her arms ached from where he'd grabbed her. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her like that. Dally was drunk and in a bad mood, and she knew she didn't do anything to help matters, but he had really scared her. And now he had completely abandoned her at Buck's without a ride home.

Wearily, she looked up and scanned the cars parked in the lot. There were so few cars there that she could nearly count them all on one hand. To make matters worse, she didn't recognize any of them.

Stealing a peek around the corner, she double-checked that Dally was really gone and then forced herself toward the door. On shaky legs, she walked up the steps and pulled the door open. A warm breeze encircled her, pulling her inside where the music wasn't nearly as loud as every other time she'd been there. Taking a step inside, all she wanted was a phone.

XXX

Monty had been nursing his beer far too long. The damn thing had gone warm - not to assume that it was actually that cold to begin with - but still, warm beer tasted like piss. He'd just ordered a second when he heard the door open and had taken a long drink when he noticed Will Bridges slide out of his booth and head in that general direction.

Monty shifted a little on his stool to get a better angle of what caught his attention. He set his beer down as he watched Will try to back Ellie O'Hare into a corner. Will loomed over her, and his hands were holding a beer and far from her for the moment. Every time she tried to step around him, he blocked her path and took a step closer. Monty slowly made his way toward the stupid kids' game Will was trying to play.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Will asked Ellie. He took another step closer to her.

"Back off, Bridges," Monty ordered.

Will turned around and faced him. Monty kept his face serious and unreadable, and he kept his eyes on Will, hoping the little broad was smart enough to get herself out of the corner while she had a chance.

"What if I don't wanna back off?" Will asked, a cocky look on his face.

Monty shrugged, and leaned back on his heels. He knew from experience that Will was a dirty fighter and always had been, and this would only drive him to pick a fight. It was better to pick the fight with Monty than Ellie, though.

"'Cause lemme tell you something," Bridges replied, inching closer.

Monty saw Ellie dart from around him from the corner of his eyes and she had her hand on the door, ready to bolt when he gave the word go.

"What's that?" Monty asked, an interested grin on his face.

"As far as I can tell you're the only Shepard in here and I got four boys sittin' over there, itchin' to knock some sense into that head of yours."

Casually, Monty looked over at the Tigers at the far table. He knew they were there. That was the whole reason he'd hit up this hellhole in the first place. Someone had to keep tabs on Will and his boys.

"Oh," Monty said thoughtfully, lighting up a Kool. "Now, let me tell _you _something, Bridges. Why don't you let me have the little broad for right now, and you can have Buck's all to yourself tonight. Deal?"

"What the fuck kinda deal is that?" he snarled. He glanced back to where Ellie had ducked to the door. "What do you want with her, anyway?"

Monty always kept his switch in his back pocket, right where he could easily to it. By the time he pulled it out and flicked it open, Will hardly had time to react. Monty grinned when the blade made it to his throat before he even flinched at the action.

"You're going to leave the little broad alone," Monty told him matter-of-factly. "She don't want what you're dishin' out. Not from your hand or from your pants. You can be sure that if Tim gets wind that you so much as looked at her, you're gonna get your balls handed to you."

Will raised his hands in mock surrender. It was only to get Monty to back off, which he obliged. He slid the blade back into his pocket and nodded to the Tigers who were standing tense and ready to pounce.

"Same goes for you boys," Monty said, putting his hand on Ellie's shoulder and leading her out the door. "See y'all later."

He noticed when he opened the door for her that she seemed tensed up when she should have been throwing herself at him, thanking him for riding in and saving the day. By the time they were outside, she was dragging her feet as he led her toward his car. She hadn't uttered a word and she'd barely looked at him. He'd gotten a good look at her though, and she looked awful.

"Right there," he said, pointing to his Chevy. She hesitated as soon as he took his hand off her shoulder, and he was quickly losing his patience. And Monty prided himself on his patience. He had to with all the idiots he dealt with in Tim's gang.

He opened his door and stared at her, but she was staring at the ground.

"What?" he asked, exasperated. "Need me to open the door for you? It's unlocked. You just pull the little handle there. It's real easy. Even Curly knows how to do it. Bridges probably does, too, but I'm not sure."

She still wasn't looking at him, but he could tell she was pouting.

"Hey, I ain't got all night to stand out in the rain with some chick I don't even know. If you want to stay here and let Will take you home, that's your business, but it's not going to be my fault when you end up in worse shape than you're already in."

Ellie finally met his eyes and, with her lips set in a frustrated line, she jerked the door open.

Monty put up his hands. "Whoa, baby. This car ain't a toy."

He climbed into the driver's seat and cringed when she slammed the door shut harder than necessary.

"You sure you weren't the one that keyed Tim's car? You seem hellbent on wrecking mine," he muttered.

She still didn't respond, which was fine by him. Her silence was irritating, though, by the time they reached Tim's house.

"All right, humor me," he said, taking in her soaked, disheveled appearance after he parked the car. "How'd you end up at Buck's all by your lonesome?"

For the first time since she got into the car, she actually looked at him.

"Dally," she said, the name nearly getting lost between her lips and the stagnant air between them.

"Dally brought you?"

She nodded.

"Where'd he wander off to, then?" he asked.

Rubbing her arms, she said, "He picked me up after work and brought me there. He just left me."

Those were heavy words. Monty looked up the street to see if Tim had materialized. Much to his chagrin, he hadn't. Sighing, Monty turned back to her and noticed the blood dribbling down her scraped knee. He started patting around in his pockets and checked around the floor. Seeing nothing of use, he reached across her into the glove compartment. Her entire body flinched violently away from his sudden movement, and for a second he thought it was a good idea for her to shut the door so hard. Otherwise, the girl would've fallen right out into the rain the way her right knee slammed into the door.

"Easy there," he replied, holding up a stack of napkins from Jay's. "Just looking for these."

He rolled his window down, and held them out in the rain for a while until they were wet.

"Here," he said, offering them to her slowly, not wanting to scare her again. She was already a big enough mess.

She looked at him dumbstruck, and Monty nodded toward her knee.

"Oh," she said quietly.

She pressed the wet napkins against her knee and looked up at him. "Thanks."

"No sweat," he replied, lighting up another Kool. As he smoked, he contemplated leaving things at that until Tim got back. He could deal with the dumb kid; it wasn't Monty's responsibility. He couldn't help it, though. "Do you realize how close you got to serious trouble tonight?"

Her eyes went big, a mixture of fear and utter confusion. She started to shake her head, and she said in a rush, "Dally woudn't have done anything to really hurt me. He was just pissed off and drunk and I didn't really think – "

Monty cut her off. "I mean with Will Bridges."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean, he's a bad character and with you bein' Tim's girl and all, you just about ended up on the wrong side of somebody else's stick," he said plainly.

Ellie blushed at the analogy but looked nervous at the same time.

"He was just there when I walked in," she babbled. "I was just gonna use the phone. I didn't know he was there."

"Just watch yourself. Don't walk nowhere by yourself or anything like that. Bridges is a dangerous cat and a hell of an asshole, to top it all off," he told her.

Monty thought he was seeing things when she cracked a little smile.

"You mean like how Dally and Tim are dangerous? I know they're tough and all, but come on," she said.

Monty looked at her seriously. "Remember last year when that girl got shot at the Dingo?"

"Yeah," she said, her eyes getting wider. "What about it?"

Monty shrugged slowly, looking out into the rain.

"That was him?" she asked. He looked back at her and noticed her face was no longer flushed with embarrassment but pale with fear.

"No one knows for sure, but Bridges was there that day and I happen to know that he has this habit of sometimes carryin' a heater," he told her.

He thought she had gone pale before; now she was the color of a sheet.

"But who was the girl? Was it someone he knew and didn't like?" she asked. She sounded like she was sizing herself up to the girl who got shot, and Monty was glad he was scaring some sense into her.

"She wasn't anybody as far as I'm aware. I think she just got in the way or something," he said, flicking his smoke out the window.

"In the way of what?" she gasped.

Monty laughed. "Don't worry about it. Just steer clear of him and you'll be okay."

She nodded slowly and stared blindly out the windshield.

XXX

The rain had stopped by the time Tim pulled up behind Monty's car and Ellie fidgeted. She would have rather Monty drive her home, but she didn't push it when he brought her to Tim's house instead. Though, when Tim finally pulled up from wherever he had been, she started to get nervous all over again.

Monty looked at her and said, "Stay here a minute."

He was out of the car before she had a chance to reply.

Leaning over, she watched Monty walk up to Tim's car from the driver's side mirror. They leaned against the car, talking about something that she knew didn't relate to her. Tim didn't look toward Monty's car, and Monty didn't motion toward it. Monty finally waved her way when a loud knock came on her window. Startled, Ellie looked up, her heart pounding in her ears and saw Curly grinning like a fool at her.

Ellie rolled the window down. "You scared me," she chided.

"Whacha doin' in Monty's car?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows.

"Nothing," she said, straining her eyes to see out of the mirror again. "What are you doing out?"

Curly shrugged and leaned into the car through the open window.

"Tim and me had some stuff to take care of," he said. Ellie could hear the pride in his voice.

"Did you get it taken care of?" she asked, rolling her head so that she as looking at him again.

"More or less," he replied. He looked her up and down. "Man, what happened to you? You look like you been through a tornado or somethin'."

Between Dally and Will harassing her and Monty trying to scare the living daylights out of her, Ellie hadn't considered just how ragged she looked. Curly started laughing at her like it was some big joke when she turned the rear view mirror in her direction.

Her hair was a wet, tangled mess and between her scraped knee and soaked shoes, she tried to imagine what Tim would say. More though, she wondered how he would react to Dally taking liberties with her and hurting her to boot. Part of her wanted him to seek Dally out and knock some sense into him; the other part just wanted him to ask her if she was okay.

She hated not knowing what to expect. She was in a strange neighborhood with boys she wasn't sure she completely trusted. Even if Steve or Darry or even Two-Bit gave her a hard time for going to Buck's, at least she knew she would be safe with them. They were her friends. These guys certainly weren't friends yet; she didn't know if they would ever be. She just knew she wanted her own friends at the moment.

XXX

Tim hitched up his collar and lit a smoke, nodding at Monty as he came over.

"How'd it go?" Monty asked.

"Pretty well," Tim replied. "That shit was right where you said it was."

"Good deal. That'll keep 'em off of our turf for awhile," Monty said.

Tim nodded, taking a drag.

"Yeah, but they'll have more 'fore too long. That's too much cash that we sent up in smoke, but it's cash they ain't gonna make on my turf," Tim said confidently. "Did you lose Will or something?"

Monty shook his head and motioned toward his car. Curly was leaning into the passenger side window.

"Not quite," he said. "Your girlfriend showed up."

"Showed up where?" Tim asked.

"Buck's," Monty told him. "Bridges was there with Livingston and a couple other guys when she walked in."

"By herself?" Tim asked. He hoped she didn't get it into her head to find a way to Buck's to find him for some reason.

"Yeah. She said Dally was hassling her and left her there. You can bet Bridges was all over that when she walked in the door. Thought it would be fun to play a game of Back Shepard's Broad into a Corner," Monty explained. Annoyance dripped from every word. "I had to pull my damn knife on him."

Scratching his brow with his thumb, Tim digested the information and looked toward the car. Ellie wasn't supposed to be getting into shit between him and the Tigers, but she'd walked right into Will Bridges' radar.

"Christ," Tim muttered. "How'd he even know I was seeing her?"

"Seeing her? I told him that to get him to back off, but I didn't think you were serious about any of this," Monty retorted, still annoyed. "Are you still doing this shit? She's a fucking kid, Tim, and we got bigger fish to fry."

If anyone else in his gang – forget about anybody outside it - had said to that to him, he would have knocked them flat on their ass, but he let Monty have it. If there was anything Tim knew, it was that Monty knew his shit and thought clearly when Tim couldn't. That wasn't often, however, and Monty just didn't understand the fight he had with Dallas. Besides, she was a cute broad. He wasn't wasting his time on nothing.

"You think you have to fuckin' remind me of that?" Tim asked, tossing his cigarette butt away.

Monty backed off a couple of steps.

"All I'm tryin' to say, Tim, is if she's worth all the hassle?"

"You saw Dally at New Year's. Hell yes, it's worth the hassle," Tim replied. In all actuality, he didn't know how far this would go and for how much longer, but he didn't really care. They succeeded in fucking with Dally's mind once; anything now was just extra. "Thanks for watching out for her."

"No problem. You can pay me for babysitting later," Monty replied, barely cracking a grin.

Tim flicked him off and sauntered off to relieve Ellie from having to listen to whatever Curly was laughing about.

"Go make sure Angel ain't doin' something she ain't supposed to," Tim ordered Curly, yanking him back toward the sidewalk.

"She ain't," Curly replied, looking at him sourly.

"How the fuck can you know that if you ain't been inside yet?" Tim asked.

He mumbled something under his breath and started walking up the lawn, dragging his feet the whole way.

"You did good tonight, Curly," Tim called after him. Curly's face brightened, and he walked a little faster toward the door.

"I know," he called back with a grin before he walked inside.

Tim turned around and rested his hands on the door of the car, looking down at Ellie who shifted uncomfortably.

"Hey," she said, her voice faint.

She looked awful, but he didn't tell her that.

"Let's get out of here," he said, stepping back and pulling the door open.

She slowly got out of the car, and he tried to take in her appearance as they walked back to his car without her noticing. He opened her door for her, and she seemed surprised when he didn't say a word about how she looked.

He was surprised himself.

XXX

Ellie picked at her nails until she thought she pick them clean off. Tim hadn't said anything about how she looked, or about Dally for that matter, which had been both good and bad. Maybe he didn't want her to feel bad. Maybe he knew she had already had enough trouble for the night. But then again, maybe he was just waiting to get back home so he could laugh about it with Curly. Lord only knew what Tim would say to Monty after all of this.

"Do you always walk right into trouble, or does trouble follow you around?" Tim finally said after they left his house.

She sighed. "I think it's a little of both anymore."

"What was Dally's game earlier?"

Ellie shrugged. She wasn't itching to relive it all and have Tim think she was stupid for putting herself in that position. She wondered if she had suddenly gotten stupider judging how things were going in her life. She liked to think she hadn't always been so dumb.

"Just looking for a fight, I guess," Ellie replied. "Like usual. What were you and Curly doing?"

It was Tim's turn to shrug. "Nothing big. Just keeping an eye on everything."

Ellie glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Curly made it sound like it was a big deal."

Tim shook his head slowly. "Dumb kid. He jus can't keep his big mouth shut." He looked over at Ellie. "It don't concern you, so don't worry about it none."

"Is it about Will Bridges?" she asked quietly. No one but Monty had ever let her in on how dangerous the guy was, and now she was scared. Troubles with Socs felt miles away after the mess she had just gotten herself into.

"It may be. Maybe not," Tim replied with a shrug. "Why are you so nosy?"

Ellie turned her attention to the road, sighing in relief as he pulled to the curb in front of her house. "I was just curious."

"Well, you oughta cut it out," Tim said. "Being curious got you to lookin' like this, didn't it?"

Ellie felt her cheeks burn and fumbled for the door handle. "Thanks for bringing me home."

"Hey," Tim called after her. Reluctantly, she leaned back into the car.

"How about I pick you up from school tomorrow and we get some burgers or something?" he suggested.

"I don't know," Ellie said slowly. She considered everything that had happened since she had first gone out with Tim. "I seem to get into an awful lot of trouble when I'm with you."

Tim chuckled, flashing his first grin of the evening. "I think all the trouble you got into tonight was your own doing. We'll get some burgers, maybe some fries, and I can guarantee you won't look like … " He trailed off and half-heartedly gestured to her. "Well, like you do now."

Ellie finally nodded. "All right."

"Good deal. I'll pick you up tomorrow, kid," he replied. She shut the door and he peeled off down the street.

As Ellie walked in the house, she tried to decide what in the world she was going to wear for a date with Tim. By the time she made it to the bathroom, she wished she hadn't. She looked like an even bigger mess in the light of the room than she did in Monty's car, and she couldn't imagine how Tim had managed to keep a straight face. No wonder Monty was treating her like a kid. Her hair was a wreck; she even had skinned knees, for God's sake!

Walking back to her room, Ellie tossed her bag on her bed angrily. She was tired of getting the shitty end of the stick, and it was time it stopped. Pulling open her closet door, she took a long, hard look at her clothes. She was going to have to make a few adjustments, but she was finished letting Dally push her around and letting Monty treat her like some kid.

She didn't have a lot to work with, but she was sure she could do something with what she had. She eyed the blue plaid skirt she'd discarded before the New Year's party and held it up against her waist. With a smile, Ellie realized she didn't have to do much to make the changes she needed.

_You look at me,  
__I look at you,  
__Neither of us know what to do._

_A/N: Is Ellie finally digging herself out of her slump? Stay tuned to both News and Tender to find out._


	4. The Best Part of Breaking Up

**Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders, which includes the characters and the world in which Susie Hinton has given us to play in. We also do not own the song "Why Can't I?" by Liz Phair.**

**This chapter is a missing scene from chapter 32 of Tender is the Night.**

* * *

_Get a load of me, get a load of you,  
__Walkin' down the street and I hardly know you._

The bell rang and within seconds, kids started spilling out of the front doors of the school. Tim was parked illegally in the bus lane and had gotten the finger from more than one angry bus driver. He scanned the swarms pouring out of the building, looking for Ellie and realizing that he wasn't quite sure what to look for. The two times he'd been around her lately, she'd been dolled up for a party and then drug through the mud. He figured she would probably be aiming for something in the middle this time.

Someone started knocking on his window, and Tim lazily turned his head to look. Some fat, bald guy was tapping on his window and yelling at him about something.

"What?" Tim asked coolly, not bothering to roll the window down.

"Move your car," he yelled, motioning with his thumb. "Move it."

"Move what?" Tim asked, not throwing the car into gear.

The passenger door opened, and Tim grinned as Ellie slid into the car.

"Trouble?" she asked, pulling the door shut and smiling.

"Not even a little," he replied, starting the engine and revving it so loud the fat man jumped back far enough to clear Tim's exit.

Tim waited until he was clear of the school before he said much to her. Glancing over, he looked her over and couldn't help but grin.

"How'd you make it through school looking like that? I thought good ol' Will Rogers cracked down on that dress code of theirs," he asked, grinning at the amount of leg she was flashing.

Her hands flew to the hem of her skirt, but it didn't do much use. The length was still modest compared to half the girls his boys ran around with, but it amused him how she was trying so hard to doll herself up for him.

"I didn't," she admitted. "I changed after the bell."

"Ah, so you got dolled up just for me?" he asked, watching her cheeks turn a fiery red.

"Uh, something like that," she mumbled, turning her gaze out at the flying scenery. "Where are we going?"

Tim had a place in mind, somewhere outside of Tulsa, where no one knew him or her. He wanted a chance to talk to her without people leering at either of them wherever they went. He figured maybe she wouldn't be so uptight and nervous if it wasn't some big show for once.

"Catoosa," he told her.

"Catoosa?" she repeated. "Why?"

She was suddenly apprehensive, looking as though she were sitting on a pincushion.

"I thought we could get the hell outta Dodge and not have to put on some damn show for everyone. Relax a little," he explained.

"Oh," she replied simply.

"That okay with you?" he asked, half-expecting her to ask him to take her home instead.

She snapped out of the trance she'd set herself into and looked at him with a forced smile. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

He slid an arm across the top of the seat and watched her try to settle back against it. She was so tense and nervous that she could hardly look at him now. Tonight would either be an ice-breaker or a deal-breaker, and he wasn't sure he cared which one it was. He figured he could decide after dinner.

XXX

Ellie was finally relaxing a little bit when Tim pulled into a little drive-in restaurant that resembled Jay's in every way except for its name – Tubby's. Tim ordered for her without question, only pausing to ask her opinion when it came to what flavor milkshake she wanted.

"Vanilla," she said, the word sounding as plain as the flavor.

Tim gave the rest of the order to the car-hop waitress and waited for her to walk away. Ellie didn't miss how he watched her go and rolled her eyes.

"I pegged you for a strawberry type of girl," he said, easing back and looking at her.

Ellie shrugged and said, "Nope. Plain vanilla for me."

"Guess so," he replied, adjusting the radio.

Tim was as hard to talk to as he was to read and predict. He'd pegged her as a strawberry type girl and Ellie was wondering what else he'd figured her as.

Tentatively, she asked, "So, what else did you peg me for?"

It was Tim's turn to shrug. "Want the truth?"

Ellie's stomach tightened nervously.

"I don't know. Is it bad?" she asked.

"Do you always assume for the worst?" he asked.

She was taken aback by that and pondered it. The only thing she didn't assume the worst for was her relationship with Dally. Everyone told her it was a bad idea but she didn't want to listen for some reason. Look how good being optimistic got her with that.

"It's better than always getting let down," she answered carefully. She wondered how he would react if he knew she was thinking about Dally right then.

He looked like he was really considering her answer and finally said, "That makes more sense than most things, I guess."

"So, what else?" she asked, hesitantly. She wasn't sure she wanted to know but considering their relationship she figured it was better to get it all out in the open. Maybe she could change to fit the mold he formed for her. She sure wasn't going to fit the mold of the waitress Tim had just ogled.

"You've got a lot of patience if you dated Dally. Either that or maybe you're just a little nuts for going out with him in the first place," he said. He hushed up as the waitress set the tray of food precariously on his rolled down window. He glanced at the milkshakes before passing her one. "Vanilla?"

"That's me," she said. Reaching for it, she brushed his hand and instantly felt butterflies. _Don't be so stupid,_ she thought to herself. _He doesn't think of you like that._

They ate in silence, the music from the radio pulsating through the air. Tim had caught her staring at him once and twice caught her wiping her hands on the seat of the car. Ellie wanted to die because she couldn't think of anything to say that would break the silence. She didn't want to start talking about Dally and it's not like she really cared about his gang or what they were doing, so she was stuck.

"So you work in that little grocery store on the corner. How'd you fall into that?" he asked. He seemed pretty stuck on conversation topics, and Ellie smiled in spite of herself. Either that or he was just really bored and wanted to break the silence. She was starting to really hate how she couldn't read him.

"When Jimmy moved in, he didn't have a job and Mom was working like crazy to support us all. I figured I could help her out some, so I talked Joe into letting me work there," she explained. "He wasn't going to let me to until I made Two-Bit put back the stuff he lifted when we were there."

Tim laughed. "You took Mathews with you?"

"You don't _take _Two-Bit anywhere, he just tags along to make trouble. He was convinced he could talk the guy into letting me have a job there, and I guess he kind of did," she said.

He rubbed his chin, a smile on his face until he set his cup down on the dash and asked, "Is Jimmy the prick that slapped you around at Buck's that one night?"

She nodded. "He's my stepdad."

"Is he of the bastardly type?" he asked, his dark blue eyes flashed with a hatred she understood all too well.

"Yeah," she said. "He ain't anybody special, and my mom couldn't resist a marriage proposal."

"How long's he been around?" Tim asked.

"A couple of years. They got married over a year ago and it's been hell ever since. He cheats on her and everything," she told him, words spilling out of her faster than she could catch them. "I take it you have one, too."

Tim nodded and shifted in his seat so he was facing her more head on.

"Mom married him damn near ten years ago. He's the only father Angel's ever known and Curly don't remember much of our old man to begin with," Tim told her. "He's a real piece of shit. Maybe yours and mine run in the same circles."

"Maybe they all have their own gang," she said, the suggestion sound stupid to her own ears. "Well, maybe not."

Tim chuckled. "They might. What's the story with your old man?"

Ellie's stomach turned to a block of ice. She hated this question more than all the others simply because it was too difficult to give one straight answer. The easiest and most simplistic answer was the one everyone accepted without question and mostly because they assumed she didn't know anymore than what she told.

"He split when she got knocked up," she told him. "I don't know him."

"You and me both, kid," he said, sliding an arm back across the seat.

XXX

Tim had one question he was itching to ask her, but he wasn't real sure how it would come off. He had her talking, which he figured was a good thing considering how quiet she had been the last couple of times he'd been with her, and he figured he might as well go for it.

"What's the deal with you and that Soc?" he asked. He watched her almost stop chewing her French fries altogether, and he wondered if she was going to choke. He wasn't real sure what to do if she started turning blue. She finally swallowed her food, and he relaxed a little.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Tim lit up a cigarette and looked her over. The scar she had on her face wasn't as bad as he remembered it being, but he understood how it could bug a broad like her. She didn't have a whole hell of a lot going on for her to begin with. She was cute but she was small and still just a kid to most guys.

"I mean why'd some fancy ass Soc pick you to mess with? It don't add up," he said. He'd actually given the issue a lot of thought, trying to piece a story together from the fragments of stories he'd gotten since she got jumped way back when.

"It was stupid," she said. "Just stupid shit that led to more stupid shit."

That was the first he'd heard her cuss in awhile. He'd struck a nerve.

"There wasn't even anyone on the street when it happened," she said, verbalizing her thoughts. "I mean, it was Front Street. How wasn't there anyone there?"

"Why'd he do it?" he asked. He wasn't sure why he was prying or even why he cared.

She shook her head but continued to hold his gaze; she had some piece of information on the tip of her tongue, and he could tell. She wanted to say it, whatever it was.

"It's not that important," she finally said, looking away.

"Bullshit it isn't," he said. "One of our girls gets jumped on our side of town and not a damn thing happens. What the hell do you think would happen if I jumped one of theirs?"

She cautiously glanced back up at him.

"Yeah, we get the shit end of the stick but for a fucking good reason. Girls ain't supposed to be involved in this Soc/greaser bullshit," he said. "Not like that."

"Yeah, well, there was more to it than that," she said defiantly. "Just leave it at that, okay? I don't need more rumors going around about me than there already are."

She was getting pissed off, and Tim started to feel a little better that she was being something other than scared and nervous.

"So whatever reason he jumped you is worthy of the rumor mill?" he asked.

A bitter chuckle escaped through her pursed lips. "It might be."

Tim decided to draw the line there. He didn't need to pick on her to get the information. She didn't want him to know and hell, if he didn't want someone to know something it would only piss him off to have them keep poking at it like that.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" he asked. He reached slowly across the threshold of her comfort zone and traced her scar with his thumb. "How'd he do that?"

She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her face; her hand gripped his so tightly he felt her fingernails digging into his flesh.

"I don't really remember," she answered, her voice shaking. "I just don't."

"It's not that bad," he told her. He wasn't lying to make her feel better, either.

"Can we just drop this?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. He started to pull his hand back, but she held on to it, her grip softening. Her eyebrows creased, and she was staring at him like she was confused.

"How come you didn't push for me to tell you more than that?" she asked, her face and tone serious.

"You don't want me to know, and it ain't like I'm gonna shake the information out of you," he said coolly. "That ain't my style."

She shook her head like she couldn't believe him. "You know, Dally just got mad at me when I didn't tell him why or let him do anything about it. Even when I told him it would only make it all worse, he didn't care."

"You know why?" Tim asked. He was only looking for the yes or no answer. He didn't expect more than that.

She nodded her head slowly.

"If I would've told him why, he would have hit the ceiling. He was angry enough not knowing why, and I wasn't going to give him any other reason to try and kill the guy," she said, letting go of his hand. "He was just looking out for me and I can't fault him for that, but it wasn't as random as he thinks it was."

Tim didn't believe for a second that some random Soc decided to beat the hell out of some east side girl, but he couldn't think of many reasons why he would hurt her like he did.

"I don't care anymore that Dally went after him. I know that what happened to me won't happen again," she told him. "I just don't want anyone to know the reason _why_ Michael did what he did."

Tim let that information sit for a second while he thought about it. She was dangling some seemingly pertinent piece of information right in front of him, but she wasn't going to tell him about it. He briefly considered pressing her for it, but he'd be damned if he let the girl know she had piqued his curiosity. He played the mysterious, uninterested badass a little too well to throw that away on some broad he hardly knew.

"Then we'll leave it at that," he said.

Relief appeared to wash over her as she leaned back in the seat and sighed.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

Tim slid his arm back across the seat and looked her over. He knew Monty was right, Tim was three years older than her, and she probably still had her head in the clouds over Dallas Winston. The only reason they were even spending any time together whatsoever was because it was a way at getting back at Dally - a shallow reason at best - but she was holding on. She didn't bail after the New Year's party, and she seemed to realize that it took a lot to really get at somebody's nerves. She was in it for the long haul, and he realized that maybe he had underestimated her.

"So, how come no strawberries? Why vanilla?" he asked.

She giggled, genuine and carefree at his ridiculous question.

XXX

The whole drive back to Tulsa, she was too nervous to scoot closer to him, but the urge was there. His arm was resting across the seats, but she didn't know if it was just her imagination that she thought his fingers kept grazing her shoulder. Maybe it was because of bumps in the road. At the next dip in the road, she slid over a little, amazed with herself. Tim didn't seem to notice her small triumph, but she smiled a little to herself.

The conversation was muted heading back, but they had talked a lot in Catoosa. It had made her so nervous that he was taking her out of town, but by the time they left, she hoped he'd do it again. She had been absolutely floored he'd asked her about getting jumped and for once, it didn't turn into some huge fight. She almost didn't know what to do when he just let it drop, no questions asked.

The drive home seemed so much shorter than the drive there, and Ellie looked at her dark house unhappily.

"Looks like no one's home," he pointed out, throwing the car in park.

"Nope," she agreed. "Mom's probably working and Jimmy's … well, Jimmy's probably out doing what he does best."

"Gotta love 'em," he said, a vinegary grin on his face.

"Sure," she replied sarcastically. Her stomach twisted into knots at the sudden awkwardness. She did have one more question she wanted answered, so she asked, "Why'd you kiss me that night outside of Buck's?"

He pulled his arm back and scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. She was noticing it was a habit of his, and it made her feel a little more comfortable knowing he had tics like everyone else.

"Well, it was to get under Dally's skin 'cause he was mouthin' off all night, but you got mouthy, too, and it surprised me," he said.

Ellie felt her eyebrows lift in surprise. She didn't know it was possible to surprise a guy like Tim Shepard.

"You're cute when you're pissed," he said with a boyish grin she hadn't noticed before. "And you were pissed at me that night."

She drew a blank, trying to remember more about that night than just him kissing her and Dally seeing it. She knew she would have been mad about it all, but the reasons were beyond her at the moment.

Tim laughed for a brief second. "You don't remember, do you?"

"I remember," she lied defensively. "I remember you being an asshole, like usual. You used me for some stupid game."

"Ah, kinda like what we're doin' now, huh? But this time, it's both ways," he said, his eyebrows raised and a small grin on his face. "At least you're in on it this time."

Ellie couldn't help but laugh but what he said still didn't sit quite right with her, even if it was true. She was using him just as much as he was using her. It was all some stupid game that she was afraid would never end or end with her getting her heart broken once again.

"You're lucky you had a guy like me around to give you a little thrill," he said.

"That was still a shitty thing to do," she said, trying to not act like she cared.

"Well," he started, leaning closer to her and tossing his arm over the seat so that she was nearly leaning into the crook of his arm, "you weren't complaining."

He was very close to her, but Ellie realized he was leaving the goodnight kiss up to her. He was looking at her, his eyes hooded and completely unreadable. She wondered if he could hear her heart pounding in the sudden silence. For them just using each other, this felt very real to her. For a fleeting second she nearly chickened out, but she realized at that moment that there wasn't an audience and she pressed her lips against his. She pulled back wondering how she was going to make it inside on legs that felt like Jell-O.

"Need me to walk you in?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"No, I'll make it," she answered, her hand on the door handle. "Thanks for, you know, getting me the hell outta Dodge."

"Any time," he said. "I'll see you later."

With an assertive nod and a flirty smile, she forced herself out of the car and on unsteady legs forced her way inside. Leaning against the closed front door, she sank to the floor, a dreamy smile on her face and one word formed on her lips.

"Wow."

_High enough for you to make me wonder  
__Where it's going.  
__High enough for you to pull me under._

* * *

_A/N: Does anyone think that these two will make it, or are they just simply using each other for a greater cause? _

This fic was posted in honor of Good Fic Day. Long live grammar whores and characterization that rings true to the book!


	5. Torn

**Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The boys and places you recognize are all hers. We also don't own Bob Seger's song "No Matter Who You Are."**

**This chapter corresponds to chapter 34 of Tender is the Night.**

_

* * *

__No matter who you are,  
__No matter what you do,  
__There's going to be someone  
__Who wants something else from you._

Tim was watching her without really paying attention. He noticed enough that she threw gutter balls more often than she knocked over any pins and that every time she walked back to join Monty's date on the orange plastic chairs, she looked right at him. It was Monty's idea to bring the girls to the bowling alley; it could keep them entertained while he and Tim talked business.

"It ain't so much the fact they're selling that shit," Tim said, draining his second beer, "it's that they're fuckin' movin' in on Shepard turf and we ain't getting jack shit for our trouble."

"You gotta worry about your boys smoking that shit, man. Ain't a whole lot of 'em too bright to begin with, Tim, they're bound to get themselves picked up by the fuzz if they start smokin' grass with Will. Or if they want to get in on a little cash."

That struck a nerve with Tim because he thought he'd smelled it on Rick and Curly once before when they were making trouble at Buck's. Will's guys had been giving his enough trouble as it was lately, and it was all on Tim's turf to begin with. Not that he could worry about it now, though, the girls were making their way over.

Sarah plopped herself down into Monty's lap and Ellie stood rigidly beside Tim. Tim slid his arm around her slender waist and pulled her so she was leaning against him. He hadn't gotten very far with her in the month or so they'd been together, but then she hadn't warmed up too much at all. He could kiss her fine, but anything further than that and she forced him to stop. He didn't mind, though, considering he told her anything else she might offer him would be the added bonus. He didn't expect much.

"You ladies finished bowling already?" Monty asked, grinning at Sarah.

"Yeah, and don't you even think about buying another game for us. We talked 'bout it and we're sick of bowlin' while the two of you sit up here, not payin' attention to the things you oughta be payin' attention to," Sarah drawled, running a nail down one of Monty's sideburns.

Ellie was staring at the ground and Tim pinched her side as a bid to get her attention. She looked up and met Tim's gaze easily as they were eye level as she leaned into his chair. She had pretty eyes.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked her.

Her eyes darted quickly to the front doors before she looked back at him.

"Uh, sure," she said.

"You okay?" he asked. "You're jumpy all of a sudden."

She smiled and for as much as he was still learning all of her quirks and tics, that was as fake a smile as he'd ever seen. She was definitely hiding something.

When Tim stepped outside and caught the first glimpse of his car, he stared at Ellie for a long second and read the recognition on her face. She stared back at him, wide eyed and tight lipped. She fucking knew someone was going to egg the shit out of his car.

Monty let out a low whistle as he admired the handiwork from the sidewalk.

"I can't believe this shit," Tim muttered, watching egg yolk drip and puddle in sickening yellow pools all the way around his car. "Somebody is going to fucking die for this."

He looked up and noticed Ellie standing toward the rear of the car, staring at the ground and then back up at him, her mouth slightly agape before she turned and stared out into the black parking lot. He circled around stood beside her, but didn't see the missing hubcap before a pair of headlights kicked on and blinded him. The car pulled around and even with spots in his eyes he could see Dally sticking his head out the window and grinning like a moron.

"Nice car you got, Shepard!" Dally yelled just a something hit him in the chest and splattered. Tim wiped the spatter of raw egg off of his face and cussed Dally out under his breath. He stopped when he heard a tiny, muffled laugh from beside him. Ellie was laughing and trying without much luck to stifle the notes bouncing out from between her fingers.

"I don't know why you're laughin', kid. I gotta take you home in this wreck," he pointed out, motioning behind him.

She bit her lip and tried to stop, but it wasn't much use. She had egg white and shell fragments in her hair and Tim reached out and tried to pull them out. For as funny as she thought this was, Tim had had it.

XXX

Ellie sat uneasily on the couch in the living room at Tim's house. It was the first time he'd ever had her over and she wasn't exactly enjoying herself. Tim had disappeared into the kitchen for something or other and left her alone with his kid sister, Angela. Angel was glaring at her with eyes as deeply blue as Tim's from across the room.

The best thing about Dally was that he didn't have any family to deal with, other than his dad that he didn't talk to. Ellie realized that she could handle Curly, but she was clueless to whatever trouble Angel might stir up. Even if she was younger, Ellie was intimidated by Tim's younger sister. Maybe it was because at thirteen, Angel was more put together than Ellie had ever been in her life and the fact that Ellie was certain that she looked younger than her.

"You don't look like one of Tim's girlfriends," she pointed out, looking Ellie up and down. "More like one of Curly's."

"Don't start it, Angel," Tim said, striding back into the room and settling into the couch beside Ellie. He tossed an arm over her shoulder and Ellie did her best to sink into the crook of his arm without feeling weird that his little sister was watching with hateful eyes.

The phone rang and Tim reached across her to grab the receiver off of the cradle.

"Yeah?" Tim asked, the phone between them.

"Four of 'em are sitting pretty at the Dingo," she heard Monty say on the other end. "Wanna take 'em now?"

He was watching her and talking to Monty at the same time.

"Remember the plans?"

"I don't forget shit like that," Monty replied. "Don't hurry or nothin'. Winston looks like he's been waiting on this all his life. He can barely sit still."

"I'm on my way," Tim said.

"Hey, Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"When this shit is over, are you gonna dump the kid?"

Ellie froze. She knew Monty wasn't her biggest fan, but she had hoped Tim didn't think she was as inconvenient as Monty believed.

Tim glanced at her and said to Monty, "Don't worry about it so much. I'm on my way."

He hung up the phone and stood up, but Ellie stayed seated. She wouldn't tell Tim, but she was upset he didn't defend her against Monty. He had to know that she could hear the conversation.

"Let's go. Dally's just waiting to have his ass kicked," Tim said, reaching out his hand and pulling her to her feet. "Angel, don't get into trouble."

Angel rolled her eyes and snapped back, "I'll stay outta trouble when you an' Curly stay outta trouble."

"Angel, whatever you think you're going to do tonight, don't do it. I'll ruin your life if you do something stupid and that's a promise," Tim threatened as he shut the door behind them.

Ellie followed him off the porch, understanding just how Angel felt.

XXX

"Where are you going?"

Ellie let go of the door handle and stared at Tim confused.

"In. With you," she said. "Ain't I?"

Tim shook his head and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Grabbing her hand, he set them there and looked at her seriously.

"Sparks are gonna fly in there and I don't want you in the middle of it," he said.

"I'm already in the middle of it," Ellie replied, not missing how Tim rolled his eyes slightly.

"Yeah, well, I don't want you getting caught between fists in there," he said. "Hold on to my keys so I don't lose 'em and start the car when you see me bust outta there. The fuzz'll probably show."

Ellie was dumbstruck and she didn't know why. She glanced through the windows of the restaurant and she could see Dally and at least Steve in a booth near the door. She knew what Tim wanted, a rumble to settle the shit between him and Dally for a little while at least, but she felt torn. If it came to that, it was her friends against her boyfriend.

She felt Tim's hand on the back of her neck and Ellie knew she wasn't entirely against the idea of a rumble. Dally had it coming and she wouldn't be sorry to see Tim try and tear him to pieces.

"Come here," he said, and he leaned in and kissed her. When he pulled away, she felt herself trying to follow.

"I'll be right back," he said, getting out of the car and slamming the door in her face.

XXX

"He'll be right back my ass," Ellie cried to herself, watching helplessly as all hell broke loose inside the Dingo.

She was trying to keep her eyes on Dally and Tim, but they'd both gone down and she lost them. The sound of approaching sirens caught her ears as two boys plowed through the glass door of the Dingo.

Screaming in spite of herself, Ellie got out of the car and groaned when she saw it was Tim and Dally.

"Knock it off! The fuzz are coming!" she yelled to no avail.

Someone grabbed her arm and she tried to plant her feet, yelling at Tim and Dally as the police cars started pulling into the parking lot.

"El, come on!"

She spun around and started to run along side Sodapop as he yanked her along. They ran for two blocks before they ducked into an ally.

They were both panting, but Soda had a grin on his face.

"Looks like there's gonna be a rumble to me," he laughed, sinking down against the wall.

Ellie sank down beside him and looked at Tim's car keys still in her hand.

"I can't believe Tim took the bait like he did," Soda remarked.

"What?" Ellie snapped. "His gang was waiting on y'all."

He shook his head and threw an arm around her shoulder.

"Nothin' of the sort, El. Tim's guys are always hangin' around the Dingo like that and we knew Tim would show. And when he did, Two-Bit started cluckin' like a chicken to get him all riled up."

"Tim showed up 'cause his guys were waitin' on you guys. He wanted a rumble," she explained.

Soda shrugged. "Well, Dal really wanted the rumble, but if you say Tim was countin' on it, too, then I guess everybody's happy now. Huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," she said, shrugging his arm off of her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "It's gonna be a rumble. What's so bad about that?"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "It's Dally and Tim trying to even the score between them. Who am I supposed to root for?"

"I don't know, El. Maybe you oughta root for your boyfriend," he said, amused. "I can't imagine you'd want to cheer on Dally."

"I didn't mean it like that!" she screeched. "I meant it's my _friends_ against my boyfriend's gang."

"But that ain't what you said," Soda corrected.

"Shut up, Soda," she sighed, leaning her head against the wall.

XXX

When the sirens finally died down, Ellie made her way back to Tim's car with Sodapop.

"Why'd he leave the keys with you?" he asked.

"I guess he was thinking he could get outta here before the cops came," she said, still wondering what she was supposed to do with the keys now. "I'm assuming that it wasn't in either of your plans to get arrested?"

Soda gestured to himself. "Not all of us got arrested. I'm thinking Tim didn't exactly have a plan if he got caught leaving the fight with you. You'd have probably been hauled in, too. Did that occur to you?"

Ellie was silent, and Soda continued.

"That's one heck of a boyfriend you've got, El. At least Dally was looking out for his friends today."

"Oh, so now Dally's a great guy?" Ellie shot back. "Since when are you sticking up for Dally?"

Soda held up his hands in mock surrender with a grin on his face that made Ellie even madder. "I was just tellin' you how it was."

Ellie stopped suddenly when they were in sight of the Dingo and Tim's car. Monty was leaning on the hood of it, his arms crossed and a sour look on his face. She sighed. He already wasn't crazy about her, and the look on his face made her think his opinion of her had only gone downhill.

"Where the hell did you go?" Monty asked as soon as she and Soda were close enough to hear him.

"What's his problem?" Soda muttered.

Ellie ignored him and tried to explain herself to Monty. "I was trying to tell Tim and Dally that the fuzz were coming, but they weren't listening. By the time Tim was paying attention, the cops were here and I didn't know what else to do."

"Well, things would have been a lot easier if you woulda stayed put like Tim told you to," Monty snapped, snatching the keys out of her hand.

"Hey," Soda cut in, "relax, would ya? Tim left her stranded, so I got her out of here before she could get in the middle of things. Give the kid a break."

Monty looked Soda up and down for a split second. "I don't give no one a break, especially not some stupid kid."

Monty pushed himself off the car and started to walk away, but Soda stepped in his path and put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"Listen, asshole, just because Shepard's an idiot doesn't mean you need to take that out on Ellie."

"Soda," Ellie said, trying to get him to back off before another fight broke out. "Let's go."

Monty gave Soda a shove back to get him out of his way. "Listen, _asshole_, you don't know shit about Shepard. If that dumb broad would have just listened like he told her to listen, I would have gotten her out of here just fine. Like he told me to."

While Soda still tried to defend her, Ellie took that in. Tim must have been pretty certain he would get arrested, but leaving the keys in the engine had been so Monty could get out of there. Just when Ellie thought she understood how things worked in Tim's gang, he had to mess it all up by doing something nice for one of his friends.

Soda was about ready to get his face beat in by Monty, so Ellie stepped up closer to them.

"Soda, relax. Everything's fine."

"Yeah, kid, listen to her," Monty said to Soda. "Ellie, get in the car."

"What?" she and Soda asked in unison.

"I'm doing what I was supposed to do earlier," Monty said. "Take you home. Get in the car."

"She's not going anywhere with you," Soda said.

"I can't guarantee anything, but I'm pretty sure a war council is going on as we speak," Monty replied, "and that means we've got a rumble on our hands."

"Good," Soda said with a wicked grin on his face.

"That means you're ass is mine, kid," Monty told him, with a shove to the chest. "And she's coming with me."

"Soda, it's fine," Ellie said. She turned to Monty. "Just take me home."

"The only way you're gettin' in that car, El," Soda warned, "is if I'm gettin' in that car, too."

"You have got to be shitting me," Monty mumbled.

XXX

Monty kept mumbling to himself as Curtis ran his mouth from the backseat.

"You boys just walked right into that fight at the Dingo," Soda kept saying.

Monty flicked his lit cigarette out the window before he glared back at Soda in the rearview mirror. "If you don't shut your fucking trap, Curtis, you're the next thing that's going out this window."

"Yeah, yeah," Soda mumbled. "Keep driving, Montgomery."

Monty tightened his grip on the steering wheel. This rumble was long overdue, and he was itching to beat the shit out of one of Dally's gang.

"What's going to happen with the war council?" Ellie asked quietly from passenger seat.

She was always fucking talking quietly and acting conservative and it pissed Monty off. She acted like some kind of fucking Soc and Tim was barking up the wrong tree with this little broad.

"They'll just set a day and time," Soda told her. "They lay out the rules."

"I don't know why you guys have to go to all this trouble," she said, looking out the window, pouting like the kid she was. "It's just stupid stuff between Dally and Tim."

"You got that right," Monty said. He knew Tim wasn't going to tell it to her straight and he doubted Dally had the balls to tell her either. "You know this rumble ain't about you, don't you?"

"What?" Ellie asked, glancing back at him. "Yeah, I know that. I'm not stupid."

He just stared at her until she looked away, her face turning pink. The kid didn't know shit, and he was sure she thought this whole mess was some cockfight over her. Sure, she had gotten in the middle of it all, and sure, Tim was doing a damned stupid thing by even stringing her along, but she sure as hell wasn't the cause of the entire goddamned rumble.

"Honey, you don't know shit about any of it. A long time 'fore you came along Tim and Dally have had beef with each other," he assured her. He turned down a side street of Curtis territory, next to an empty lot. "Here you go, kid. Now you can tell Tim I did my gentlemanly duty of getting you back home. Back where you belong."

He watched her hurriedly get out of the car, and Curtis slowly followed. Monty returned his middle-fingered salute and couldn't help but flinch with how hard Sodapop slammed the door.

As Monty peeled away from the curb, he couldn't help but think about how this was just like Tim. Just like Tim to leave him to clean up the shit he messed up. He wouldn't be surprised if Tim dropped Ellie like a sack of bricks, and left Monty to clean up the pieces. _Although_, Monty thought, _that may not be so bad_. At least she would be out of the way for the first time in a long while.

XXX

Tim's room was nothing that she would have expected. It was neat with the exception of a small pile of clothes thrown into a corner and the bed unmade. She also didn't expect to ever see it.

He had his back to her as he rummaged around in a drawer for a t-shirt and she concentrated on the lines the muscles and scars made across his back. She had the urge to reach out and run her fingers along them, but pulled a black shirt over his head and turned around.

Unzipping his pants, he tucked in his shirt and grinned when he caught her staring. She hated how much her face could heat up when she was embarrassed. For as tall and lean as he was, he had no trouble filling out that shirt, even if it wasn't in quite the same was as Darry could.

"It's my rumble shirt," he said, buttoning his pants and running his fingers through his wet hair.

"Really? You have a special shirt to fight in?"

Something crashed in the hallway followed by Angel's screeching and Curly's yelling. Ellie cringed and Tim sat down beside her on his bed.

"I might have to test it out on those two," he said, pulling on a shoe.

"Save it for Dally," she said, sheepishly, watching his bedroom door waiting for Curly and Angel to burst through with their tantrum.

She started when his hand circled around her waist. His lips were warm when they met hers and she sank to her back with the slight pressure he was building up above her. His hands were hot on her bare skin, his fingers trailing down her arm and testing the waters beneath her shirt.

Ellie debated with herself to stop him when fists started beating on the door.

"Tim, quit makin' out and get movin'. We gotta go!" Curly shouted, pounding the door again.

"Calm the fuck down, Curly. Save it for the rumble," he shouted.

Pressing her lips together, she reached up and wiped water off of her brow from his wet hair. She was already blushed from Tim to worry about what Curly had said.

"Sorry 'bout him," he said, kissing her again. "He gets wound up too tight 'fore a rumble, but he's right. We gotta get moving."

The air whooshed out of her when he sat up and she was left soaking in the cloud of aftershave he left behind when he moved. She sat up and cursed Curly for interrupting.

"I'm gonna finish getting ready and I'll drop you off at home before we head over," he said.

Going home wasn't exactly what she wanted to do but neither was sticking around his house with Angel and his parents while he was out. She couldn't imagine anything worse, and he probably knew all too well.

He opened the door and walked into the hallway and Curly stepped in and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and his eyebrows wagging.

"Curly, you're such a pig," she said.

"Maybe so, but I wasn't the one in here with the door closed. Was I?" he asked, suggestively.

Tim walked up behind him and between the way both of them were standing, they looked so tough and intimidating she wouldn't want to cross them the wrong way.

"Leave her alone, Curly," Tim ordered, yanking him back by the collar. He motioned for her to follow and said, "We gotta go."

Tim took her hand and led her out to the car behind Curly. And even though she was torn between the contenders and even if it really wasn't about her, she still wanted Tim to kick Dally's ass.

_It's just the way things work_  
_In this great big town._

_A/N: Hmmm, so things are heating up a bit between Tim and Ellie?_


	6. Spring Cleaning

**Disclaimer: Give all the credit to S.E. Hinton for The Outsiders, and Queen for the song "Another One Bites the Dust."**

A/N: This chapter corresponds with chapter 35 of _Tender is the Night._

* * *

_Hey, I'm gonna get you, too  
Another one bites the dust_

Red lights flashed and danced from all directions as he ran from the vacant lot in the warehouse district. The fuzz were closing in and when he turned back to get a glance at how much space he'd put between them, he was pissed to see Dally closing in on him, too.

"You asshole," Tim griped when Dally caught up with him. It was bad enough that Tim's gang lost the damn rumble; he didn't need Dally fucking up his chances of ditching the fuzz. Tim saw his chance and ran behind a dumpster. Dally naturally followed him there.

Peering around the corner, Tim saw the lights of the cruisers heading their way, but Dally couldn't be bothered to care as he kept running his smug mouth. "Coulda stuck around a little longer and we woulda been running. Too bad you jumped the gun, Timmy Boy."

"Shut up a minute. Where are they?" he asked in a hushed whisper. The two cruisers had pulled to a stop and he had heard car doors open but he couldn't see anybody with the bright glare of the headlights.

Jabbing Dally in the ribs - maybe a little harder than necessary - he pointed up at the dumpster.

"Are you shittin' me?" Dally spat.

"Unless you want to send me straight to the slammer," Tim said. He knew it was a reasonable place to hide as long as they got in there before the cops made it any deeper into the alley, but if things worked out the way he hoped they would, only Dally would be dumpster diving.

"Doesn't sound too bad," Dally replied, that damn smug grin still plastered to his lips.

"Get your ass in the fucking dumpster before I throw it in there myself," Tim threatened.

Glancing around the side, Tim made sure the cops weren't looking their way and motioned for Dally to climb in.

"Give me a lift up," Dally demanded.

Tim turned back and glared at Dally like he was wearing a chicken suit. "Why?"

"You broke my fucking ribs is why," he replied, waving his hand to make Tim hurry up.

"And you broke my nose. Again," he added, lacing his hands together to give Dally a leg up. This couldn't be any better if he would have planned this out before hand. "Fair's fair, sucker."

With that, he lifted Dally into the trash where Tim fervently believed he belonged. Tim heard him groan just as the commotion caught the attention of the cops.

"There he is!" one of them yelled, swinging their flashlights in Tim's direction.

Tim took off running as fast as he could, knocking over piles of trash behind him to slow the cops down and finally hopping over a divider fence into another alley way. He didn't stop until he reached the sidewalk, where he listened for the sound of pounding feet. Only silence followed him and he rested his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.

XXX

There was no party spilling out on to the front lawn of Monty's aunt's house, but when Tim walked in, there was plenty of booze to drown the sorry mood.

"I guess we're all accounted for now," Monty proclaimed as Tim walked through the door. "You're missin' the party."

"Yeah," Tim muttered. "I can fucking see that."

There was a crash of beer bottles from another room and Tim cringed while Monty shook his head. Rick and Curly rounded the corner and joined the rest of them in the disheveled living room.

"That was bullshit, Tim," Curly said, using a bottle of beer to enhance his gestures. "Runnin' like that. That was bullshit."

"Who the fuck called the cops way out there, anyway?" Rick asked, flopping down on the floor. "There wasn't no one around to hear us."

This started uproar of whining and bitching from the rest of his gang. Tim was sure Dally's guys didn't even care who was responsible for the fuzz showing, but they sure as hell oughta be.

"Shut the fuck up, all of you," Tim ordered and sat down on the couch beside Monty. He was getting tired of the way Monty was looking at him through his cigarette smoke, almost as if he were sizing up how he was leading his gang and what they were into. They had been friends a long time through a lot of rough shit, and it just wasn't like Monty to sit there with such a doubting look on his face.

"I don't know who fucking called the cops, but someone did and I suggest you all just leave it alone," Tim said, laying down the law. "Don't worry, we'll get to it."

"We would've won if they wouldn't have shown, Tim," Todd said with utmost certainty.

"Yeah, that's gotta be why you were on the fucking ground the whole time, right Howell?" Monty accused. "We weren't getting dick shit from you."

"And you took on Soda Curtis? Oh yeah, you sure had a real fight on your hands, Monty. Way to pick on the big guy," Todd returned.

Tim stood up and the verbal fight instantly ceased. All around the room, ten pairs of angry eyes were trained on him. Even if they lost a rumble, they were still looking to him and he craved that attention. They already followed him through thick and thin and would probably head straight through hell if Tim asked them to.

"We lost the rumble in a fair fight, and we ain't gonna harp on it," he told them with authority. "Them boys ain't the problem we have right now. They were just a formality and we blew off steam. It's over and we lost and we ain't gonna dwell it, got it?"

"Yeah, man," Curly piped up, nodding and watching Tim like he was some god on earth.

"Don't let 'em fool you. They ran, too. Besides, we might've lost, but last time I checked, Dally Winston is stuck in a dumpster in an alley way back there to get away from the fuzz," Tim told them. It garnered a few laughs from the boys and Monty gave him the first look of approval he had gotten in a long time. It pissed Tim off that he even noticed and that it even bothered him.

"That's were that fucker belongs," Monty said. "In the trash."

"That aside," Tim said, bringing them back to order, "someone knew that rumble was going on and called the fuzz. There ain't no way someone was down there and saw it going on. They were tipped off."

"You thinking Bridges had something to do with it?" Rick asked.

Tim nodded and said, "It's a possibility considering he'd do about anything to get us off the streets so he can move in on our turf."

"So what do we do?" Rick asked. "Want us to take care of some Tigers?"

A couple of boys were banged up pretty good and with just a quick glance around the room Tim could tell they wouldn't be up for much for a couple of days. He didn't want to start a gang war with the Tigers just yet, he wanted information first.

"All I want right now is for you guys to keep your ears open. I wanna know who's braggin' about what, whether it be who called the fuckin' cops or who's sellin' what and where. We ain't lettin' this shit go, but we ain't gonna move in too fast either. For now just go home and rest up. Ain't nothin' to be upset about tonight, y'all fought fair and good," he said, sitting back down. His head was throbbing around his nose. "And don't let no one give you shit about it."

XXX

There wasn't a whole hell of a lot Tim could do to fix a broken nose. Ice wasn't helping and the handful of aspirin wasn't really doing enough either.

"It's gonna be crooked as hell," Monty said, surveying the damage.

"It's already crooked as hell," Tim corrected him, tossing the ice pack to the coffee table. "It ain't like this is the first time it's been broken."

The house was a damn mess after having the boys over, and there hadn't even been a party. Beer and soda bottles littered the coffee table and the ashtray was overflowing with butts, throw pillows were all over the floor and, for whatever reason, the lamp was sitting on the floor.

"When's your aunt comin' home?" Tim asked. Monty lived with his aunt who was usually away because she worked as an airline stewardess. It worked out well enough for Monty who had the place to himself most of the time.

"A couple of days from now," Monty replied. "Why?"

"Is she going to be pissed her doilies are messed up?" he asked with a grin.

"Is your girlfriend gonna be pissed you lost the rumble?" Monty replied.

"Why don't you just lay off her?" Tim asked.

Monty ran a hand through his hair and sighed, which annoyed Tim to no end.

"I don't fucking get why she's even still around. I mean, you had your fun with parading her around in front of Dally to piss him off. I get that, Tim, but you've played it out and had your fun with him. Shit with the Tigers is starting to heat up and you're still trying to one up that bastard with the damn kid," Monty said sharply. "Let Curly or Rick have her 'cause she ain't doin' shit for you."

"Are you finished?" Tim asked, as calmly as he could muster.

Monty nodded and raised his hand, gesturing Tim to talk.

"She ain't none of your business unless I make her your business, hear me? I don't want you treatin' her like she's some damn kid who's in your fuckin' way. She's my girl and you ain't gonna make her feel bad for it," he told him, trying to keep his voice under control. He hated to be questioned about anything, and he didn't tolerate it from any of his boys.

"What about her loyalty to the Curtis boys? Where the fuck was she tonight?"

"Where the fuck is your girlfriend? Does it fucking matter?" Tim asked, standing up and shrugging on his jacket. "The Curtis boys ain't a problem. We fought them tonight, but if we need them next week to take on the fucking Tigers, they'll show and you know it. They're the boys I trust the most for something like this, and it's a hell of a lot better that she's in tight with them than somebody like Bridges or one of the Brumly boys. At least she's got some loyalty, Monty. She gets it and she don't question it or try to mess with it."

Monty's hand flew up defensively. "Alright, alright. I got it. Sorry, man. I'll lay off as much as I can, but I tell you, she really thought this rumble was about her."

Tim couldn't help but laugh a little because he knew it was true. She knew the score well enough, but he knew she probably couldn't see past Tim's problems with Dally any further than her own involvement. It wasn't all her fault though. A lot of the shit Tim and Dally had gotten into over the last few months had involved her. The rumble still wasn't about settling who got the girl and who didn't, though.

"Shit man, I know it," Tim replied, reaching for a handful of beer bottles on the table.

"You think she's gonna stick with a loser like you?" Monty asked with a smirk, grabbing the rest of the bottles and following Tim into the kitchen.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" Tim asked, cracking a grin. "I dumped Dally into a dumpster. I don't think I lost."

XXX

In all honestly, Tim had his doubts that Ellie would stick around with him for much longer, despite the way he defended her in front of Monty. He could have kicked himself for getting so defensive, but he wasn't just attacking her, he was attacking Tim's judgment, and that was something he simply wouldn't tolerate, even from him.

Tim was surprised when he pulled up to his house the day after the rumble to see Ellie sitting on the porch steps waiting for him.

He took his time getting out of the car, by the time he opened the door, she was walking towards him. He leaned on the doorframe, watching her from over the roof of the car.

"It's kinda early for you to be out, isn't it?" he asked.

"I ditched my last two classes," she confessed, a flirty smile on her face.

"Why'd you do that?"

She shrugged and looked down at her shoes. He was sure that if he could see them, her feet would be scuffing at a dead patch of grass right about now. She got nervous at the drop of a hat, and it made Tim grin knowing that he still made her antsy.

"Well, I figured that since things didn't go so well last night that you'd need a night out or something tonight," she said. "And because I know that wherever we go Dally or Steve or Two-Bit is gonna be and we're gonna have to hear about it. It'd be like rubbin' salt in an open wound."

"Yeah, what's your point?" he asked as he studied her.

"I thought we could get the hell outta Dodge," she said, finally meeting his eyes. "Like before."

"You wanna skip town with me?" he asked.

She was studying his face, her eyes tracing the bruises and his crooked nose. He gave her a broad smile, knowing it would emphasize his freshly broken nose even more. She smiled back, and he knew he wasn't wrong for defending her to Monty.

"Yeah, I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea. But it ain't like I can't drive us or nothin'. You've gotta do that," she said, tapping the roof of his car.

"Vanilla shake, right?" he asked, nodding towards the car as he climbed in.

She laughed when she sank in the passenger seat. He noticed that this time, she slid right next to him unlike the last time they went to Tubby's. "I might go for strawberry this time."

The engine roared to life and though he really shouldn't be making the drive to Catoosa when there was enough trouble going on in Tulsa, he couldn't resist the offer.

"Tell me one thing," she said as he pulled out on to the street.

"What's that?"

"Did you really dump Dally into the trash?"

Tossing an arm across the back of the seat he glanced at her and the hopeful look on her face.

"He landed headfirst," he assured her, stepping on the gas.

_Are you happy, are you satisfied?  
How long can you stand the heat?_

* * *


	7. Better Than Nothing

Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and we don't own the song "Girl Like That" by matchbox twenty.

_You got to think with a girl like that  
__Any love at all is better than nothing_

Buck's was crawling with teenagers with fake IDs, and Tim was in the middle of it all with Ellie on his arm. When they first walked in, they were greeted with only a few chicken squawks and barely any laughter, so Tim figured word had gotten around town in the past week about Dally's dumpster diving. All it took in Tulsa was a new piece of gossip and the previous target was quickly forgotten.

Tim spotted Monty leaned against the bar beside his new girlfriend of the week, a curly-haired brunette. He led Ellie by the hand until they had shoved past the crowd and were wedged in next to Monty.

"Hey, man," Monty said.

Tim gave him a subtle nod and Monty studied him for a quick moment before he glanced over Tim's shoulder. Like the first time he met Ellie, Monty laid on the charm thick with a broad grin.

"Hi, Ellie. You met Karen before?" he asked.

"No," Ellie replied. She gave the other girl a friendly smile. "Hi."

"Can you get us a couple drinks, Monty?" Tim asked. "I think we're gonna dance a few rounds."

"Sure thing," he replied.

Tim eyed him for a moment, just to let him know he was laying it on a little too thick and Monty turned his grin on Tim. He just shook his head and pointed to the overcrowded dance floor.

"You wanna?" he asked.

Ellie nodded.

By the time they fought their way upstream to a free spot near the jukebox, some slow Hank Williams song began. There was groaning and complaining from kids around them, but they all stayed put and Tim pulled Ellie closer.

She fit pretty perfectly against his chest and he was surprised with how comfortable she seemed. She was a lot less jumpy once they made it out to Catoosa Monday afternoon, and he decided not to put her on the spot by asking why she hadn't run back to Dallas after his gang beat Tim's in the rumble.

Ellie pulled her head back slightly and looked up at him. "What's up with Monty tonight?"

"What d'ya mean?" he asked, glancing back over to the bar where Monty and Karen had finally found seats.

"I mean, why's he being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

"You noticed that, too?" Tim asked.

She smiled. "Yeah, it was pretty hard to miss."

Tim grinned back at her. "Let's just say he was confused about some things and I set him straight."

Ellie stared up at him for a few moments with a strange look on her face.

"What?" he asked.

Ellie shrugged and leaned against him again. "Thank you, but I can hold my own. I would've set him straight eventually."

"Sure," he said, tightening his grip around her.

XXX

The night was going pretty good for an evening at Buck's. Monty was being as charming as he could possibly be – which Tim thought was probably more annoying than him being an asshole – and Karen and Ellie seemed to be getting along pretty well. There was dancing and drinking and joking around, and best of all, there was no Dallas Winston to ruin the evening. However, even without Dally around, all good things had to come to an end.

The four of them had found four stools at the bar after threatening a couple kids out of theirs and Ellie and Karen were in the middle of a conversation about movies.

"James Dean is old news," Karen was saying. "Marlon Brando is where it's at."

Ellie shook her head. "What about _Giant_? You get both him and Rock Hudson."

"And Elizabeth Taylor," Tim butted in. "She ain't bad."

"What about that one broad?" Monty asked. "The one in that one movie. You know … 'Stella!'"

"Vivien Leigh," Karen said, ignoring the people that began looking at Monty when he yelled. "_A Streetcar Named Desire_."

"We could almost call you that," Monty said, nodding towards Ellie. "Ellie's gotta be short for something."

"Ella, you dipshit," Tim said, plunking down his beer. "And if you scream that like you just screamed 'Stella,' you ain't having anymore drinks tonight."

"What about _Rebel Without a Cause_?" Ellie asked. "That's a good movie."

"She's got a point," Tim agreed. "He was the original greaser."

"Nah, man," Monty argued. "That was Brando. _The Wild One_? Ever seen it? Motorcycle gangs. That's tuff. That's what we oughta do."

Tim chuckled. "Sure. You find me some motorcycles and I'll see what I can do."

He reached for his beer but was suddenly knocked off balance from behind. He knocked both his and Ellie's bottles of beer over as he tried to regain his steadiness, spilling both across the bar and onto Ellie and Karen's laps. Both girl s leapt up, trying to avoid it unsuccessfully.

"Hey," Tim hissed as he turned around to find the perpetrator. He was greeted by a bum in rags who was both stinking and drunk.

Giving him a shove backwards, he growled, "Watch yourself, pal."

The guy righted himself quicker than Tim expected. "Maybe you oughta watch yourself, kid." He then returned Tim's shove with greater strength than he looked capable of.

Tim straightened his jacket, standing the collar a little higher, as he studied the bum. He didn't look much older than 30, and the more Tim looked at him, maybe he wasn't as drunk as he seemed a first. Tim grinned at him before he threw the first punch. It hit the man square in the face but didn't seem to faze him much at all. It all went downhill from there.

XXX

"Stay here," Tim demanded, wiping the blood from his lip.

"But - "

"No, stay _here_," he repeated. "This is only going to take a few minutes, kid. I'll be right back."

Ellie sat on her stool as half of Buck's ran out the front door, chasing after the fight that was going to take place at the train tracks about a quarter of a mile away. Tim kept pushing the guy, right out the front door.

She couldn't sit still as she heard the whoops and hollers from outside as the fight was about to commence.

"Where are you going?" Karen asked as she grabbed at Ellie's shoulder.

"Well, I can't just sit here!" she complained.

Karen shrugged and let go of her shoulder. "It's just a fight. Ain't nothin' you ain't seen before I'm sure."

"Well, at least I'll get to see it instead of hear about it secondhand," Ellie replied. She hurried outside and could see the group of kids gathered in a circle. She could see two heads bobbing in the center of it and ran as fast as she could.

Getting closer to the circle, she could already see the damage that had been done to each of their faces, and the look on Tim's face scared her more than she wanted to admit. She had seen him angry before – mostly just when Dally happened to be around – but this was completely different. It was a look of more than just anger. It was a look to kill, and the tramp was too stupid to notice as he stumbled around the ring of teens egging Tim on.

"C'mon," she heard Tim say as he tried to coax the bum closer. "Don't tell me you're runnin away from a fight."

"I ain't runnin', you punk," the man said. He was stalking around the edge of the crowd slowly, watching the kids just as much as he was watching Tim.

Ellie clapped a hand across her mouth to hold in her terrified reaction when she heard the beer bottle shatter on the train tracks at t he edge of the fight. The bum had grabbed it from one of the kids in the crowd and was now wielding the weapon with ease, as if he was used to holding punk kids off with nothing but a shattered glass bottle.

Tim laughed quietly, but Ellie could hear it ringing in her ears as the drunk lunged at Tim. They rolled to the ground, both trying to regain their footing and when he finally stood, blood was pouring from the gash down Tim's face. The bum was slower to get to his feet and Tim attacked him with neither warning nor sound.

Ellie felt her whole body shake as she watched him lay into the older man, kicking and beating him mercilessly. She didn't know what to do, but she had a sinking feeling in her stomach that if somebody didn't do something soon, they were going to be crowding around a dead man. She looked around the crowd for help, but she only spotted one person she knew well enough to approach. Shoving her way through the gang of kids, she grabbed hold of Monty's arm.

"You've got to do something!" she cried.

Monty seemed surprised to see her standing there. "Didn't he tell you to stay back there where you belong?"

She clenched his arm tighter to get his full attention. "He's gonna kill him. Make him stop!"

Monty studied her for a moment before he finally seemed to make a decision. He nudged a couple guys beside him, and they entered into the center of the ring. Monty and another boy took Tim by the upper arms and pushed him away from the bum, while the other boy shoved a path through the group of kids surrounding them.

"Get outta here," Monty ordered all of them. "Ain't nothin' left to see."

Ellie stood far away from the dispersing group of teenagers and watched Monty talking what appeared to be sense back into Tim. She studied him closely, well aware that she was still shaking. After seeing him like this, she realized she had good reason to be scared of him before. Two-Bit was right when he warned her about him; Tim was a completely different breed of hood than Dallas was.

He glanced past Monty and made eye contact with her. She felt like she was going to shake right out of her skin, but she made herself walk towards him. Blood was still dripping down his face and his jacket was ripped from the busted bottle. Ellie looked over her shoulder at the tramp. She was glad to see he was moving – if only slightly and in agony – because she was certain Tim was going to kill him. The scariest part of it all was that the rest of them were just going to let it happen.

"I thought I told you to stay inside," Tim said, feeling his cheek. Blood seeped from between his fingers. "Shit."

She opened her mouth to state her case, but he cut her off.

"Didn't I tell you to?" he asked. He looked at Monty for added effect. "Didn't I tell her that? Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think so."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you told her to stay put," Monty agreed with crossed arms. "She must have heard something different, though. Right, _Ella_?"

His mocking tone put her over the edge, and she turned around to walk back to Buck's. Her eyes were brimming with tears and if they were going to make fun of her for not listening to Tim in the first place, she certainly didn't want to hear what they were going to say to her for crying over the whole mess.

"Now you did it," she heard Tim say to Monty. "Hold up, kid."

Ellie bit the inside of her lip until it hurt and tried to blink back tears when she heard him trying to catch up to her.

"Slow down a minute, would you?" he said and grabbed her arm.

She stopped but kept her eyes on the ground.

"Why're you shaking like a leaf?" he asked. He tipped her chin up to make her meet his eyes. His fingers were slick with his own blood and she grimaced. "And why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," she snapped, pulling her arm out of his hand.

"You sure look like it," he countered, keeping stride with her as they walked back in the direction of Buck's.

Ellie considered giving him the silent treatment, but he was hovering over her, boring holes into her as they walked.

"You really scared me back there."

Tim shrugged slowly, as much as his injuries would allow. "You know, there's a reason why I told you to stay put."

"And isn't it a good thing I didn't?" she cried, stopping suddenly and gesturing back to where the bum still lay beside the train tracks. He was rocking slowly, clutching his side where Tim had no doubt broken most of his ribs. "You coulda killed him!"

"Easy, kiddo," he said, reaching for her arms. "I didn't kill nobody. He sure as hell had it coming, but I didn't do it. You gotta calm down."

The fact that he could stand there so calmly minutes after nearly beating a man to death, his face slashed and bleeding, made her shake harder than before.

"You need a hospital," she said, looking at the gash on his face and where his once white shirt was soaking up the blood.

"Ain't any need for a hospital," Monty said from behind them.

"He's right," Tim said. "Buck's got some first aid junk that can clean this up."

XXX

It only took a few minutes for the clean rag to soak almost entirely through.

"Tim, you need to go to the hospital," Ellie said, pulling back the rag and evaluating the damage. She'd seen enough cuts and blood that the sight didn't turn her stomach anymore. She could play a pretty good nurse if given the chance.

Monty was hovering over her, but Karen was nowhere to be seen. She had nearly lost her dinner at the sight of the blood and left the room as fast as she could.

"It just needs stitches," Monty re-evaluated.

"Yeah, you have to get those at the hospital," Ellie said, putting her foot down.

Tim tossed the bloodied rag into the sink and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He turned and looked at her. She noticed Monty was staring at her, too.

"What?" she asked warily. She backed up a couple of steps.

"Stitches ain't hard to do," Tim said.

"Nope, all you need is needle and thread," Monty added , flashing her a grin. "I'll even sterilize the needle for you."

"Oh, no. Not gonna happen," Ellie protested. "You're both crazy. I'm _not_ stitching up your _face!"_

"It ain't like it ain't been done before," Tim said.

"What?" Ellie asked, trying to apply more pressure to the cloth on Tim's face. The blood dripping onto his shirt was starting to get to her. He swatted her hand away.

"Cut it out," he told her.

"You gotta apply more pressure. Unless you wanna bleed to death. Plus you're dripping blood all over the place. You need to go to the hospital," she urged again.

"It ain't all over the place and I don't need any fucking hospital," he snapped. "All they'd do is take one look at me, throw on a bandage – which I could do my own fucking self – and send me home. Not to mention probably call the cops, wanting to know what kinda fight I got myself into. Yeah, that'd be one hell of a good idea."

"He's got a point, kid," Monty said. "They'd be all over this fight if he heads to a hospital."

"Like you would even tell the truth," Ellie accused.

"Well, they probably wouldn't believe that I just tripped and fell and landed on a drunk's busted beer bottle," Tim replied. "Get me another rag for my face."

"I don't have another rag for your face," Monty said. He turned to Ellie. "You gotta stitch him up. That's all there is to it."

"I am _not_ gonna do it!" she exclaimed.

"Like I said, it's not like it ain't been done before," Tim said.

"What happened before that you needed stitched up?" she asked, watching Monty pull out his switch and walk across the hall to an open bedroom. He cut out a square of bed sheet to use as a rag. She didn't know which was worse: thinking about Buck's reaction to that or wondering when the last time that sheet was actually washed.

"Rumble with the Tigers a while back," Tim said. He shoved Monty's hand away with his offering of the dirty sheet. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"It's better than nothing. Use this side, it was facing up."

"Yeah, that's better," Tim said with disdain.

"Who cut you at the rumble?" Ellie asked.

"Bridges," Monty said. "He's a dirty bastard when it comes to fighting."

"How'd you get that taken care of?"

"I found a broad who had the guts to stitch me up," Tim said, sending her an accusing glare.

"Who ?" she asked, disgusted. She might have been able to handle the sight of blood, but it didn't mean she was ready to plunge a dirty needle through anyone's skin any time soon.

Monty shrugged with a grin. "Some broad at Buck's. She was drunk and nobody else was willing. She said she'd sew him up for a few free beers."

Ellie gave him a horrified look. "She played nurse for a couple beers? And you lived through it?"

Tim was even grinning behind the red cloth he held to his face. "That shit was so crooked. I probably coulda done a better job myself. I'd hate to see her try to sew up some clothes."

"Where?" Ellie asked, looking him over.

"Maybe I'll show it to you sometime," he said suggestively, making her blush.

"I'm sure sewing up clothes is a lot easier than sewing up a person," Ellie said matter-of-factly, changing the subject slightly.

"Only one way to find out," Monty said, wagging his eyebrows.

"My grandma taught me how to mend clothes. She didn't teach me how to mend people, and I ain't willing to try it on my own," she said.

XXX

Ellie was feeling sicker by the minute as she sat in the front seat of Monty's car beside Tim. They were parked in front of the Gaslight Liquor store where Monty was busy stocking up on Tim's anesthetic.

"I don't know if I can do this," Ellie said quietly. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it just slipped out.

"Yes, you can," Tim said. "I ain't gonna lie to you. I'm feeling a little dizzy, but I ain't goin' to a hospital. You can either sit there and watch me bleed to death or you can stitch me up. That's the best pep talk I can give you."

"You ain't gonna bleed to death," Ellie said, repeating Monty's line. She wasn't sure she believed it, but she didn't like Tim saying he was. It almost made it true.

"Do you think I woulda asked you to do this if I thought you were gonna kill me?" Tim asked. "I ain't got a death wish or nothing. I figure you're the best one for the job, so could you just humor me and do it?"

Monty slid into the driver's side with brown bags of bottles that clinked as he passed them across Ellie.

"Drink up, pal," he said. "You're gonna need it."

XXX

Ellie followed behind Monty as he helped Tim into his aunt's house. She looked around the place, wondering where his aunt was. He said she worked for an airline, but Ellie couldn't help but wonder what she would think if she knew her nephew had brought home his friend so they could stitch his face up with one of her needles.

"I'll go grab Bets' sewing … stuff," Monty said awkwardly. "What color thread do you want?"

"Whatever looks best on this handsome mug of mine," Tim replied. He took another drink of Tennessee whiskey. "Ellie can pick it out."

Ellie slowly followed Monty down the short hallway to his aunt's bedroom.

"Where's your aunt this time?"

"Uh, New York, I think," Monty said, rummaging around the top shelf of Betsy's closet.

"Won't she mind that we're using her sewing needles to sew up Tim?"

"Betsy doesn't sew all that much. She probably won't even notice." He held out a basket of thread spools. "Which one do you want?"

Ellie looked at him helplessly. "Do you think I know how I should pick this?"

"Well, pick one, 'cause I ain't gettin' any younger and Tim ain't pumping much blood anymore."

Ellie grabbed the lightest colored thread she could and headed back to the living room. Monty took the needle to the bathroom to sterilize it as best he could, and Ellie sat down on the coffee table in front of Tim.

"Ready to do this?" Tim asked. Had she not been sitting beside him while he guzzled from a bottle of liquor, she probably wouldn't have known he was drunk, or at least well on his way to being drunk. She was impressed by the amount of control he still had, even after everything that had happened that evening.

"No, but I guess I don't have a choice anymore," she said.

"All right," Monty announced, coming down the hall with towels, bandages, peroxide and needles. "Let's get this show on the road."

Ellie took a deep breath when he handed her a pair of scissors to cut the thread. She tried to hide how much her hands were shaking, but by the time she was about to thread the needle, she couldn't do much about it.

Monty's hand fell hard on hers and steadied it. "Relax a minute, okay? Just breathe."

"I am," Ellie said. "It's not helping."

"Get this sucker threaded and I'll make the first stitch," Monty said. "Will that help?"

Ellie kept trying to thread the needle but continued to miss the eye. "It would help a lot more if you'd just do the whole thing."

"That's a broad's job," Monty replied, his hand on her wrist to keep her steady. "Besides, if this turns out to be a hack job, I don't want Tim blaming me."

"Oh, thanks a lot," Ellie replied as Tim laughed.

"It's not gonna be a hack job. It ain't gonna be any job at all unless you get movin', El," Tim said, his head resting on the back of the couch lazily.

By luck and pure will, the thread caught the eye of the needle and slid right through.

"There," she said triumphantly.

"Calm down, sweetheart," Monty said, taking it from her. "That was just the easy part."

Ellie took a deep breath as Monty leaned closer to Tim and held the needle ready. She was expecting a little more time to prepare, but Monty plunged the needle in to both her surprise and Tim's. Monty pulled the thread taut and gave Tim a nod. Tim nodded back and looked over at Ellie.

"You're turn, baby," Tim said with a grin. The sight of Monty holding a threaded needle that was connected to Tim's face could have potentially been funny if there weren't so much pressure weighing on Ellie's shoulders at the moment.

With shaky hands, she took the needle from Monty in her right hand and put her left hand on his cheek to brace herself.

She looked Tim straight in the eyes, something she realized she had never done before – at least, never on her own terms.

"Don't hate me if this turns out awful," she said.

"I won't. So long as you don't throw up on me while you're doing this," Tim agreed. "You don't look so hot."

"You're one to talk," she replied.

Ellie took another steadying breath, but it wasn't helping. She closed her eyes long enough to get the sight of his gaping cheek out of her mind. She opened her eyes again when he put his hand on top of hers.

"You already got this far," Tim said. "If I thought anybody else woulda done a better job, I woulda asked them. Just do it and get it over with."

She clenched her teeth at the nauseous feeling in her throat. "This is gonna hurt."

"I can handle it."

Ellie took another breath and brought the needle back. She lined it up as best she could and cringed more than Tim did when she led it through the skin.

"Oh my God!" she whimpered as she drug the thread through. "I can't believe you're making me do this!"

"Hey, it don't look half bad," Monty said from over her shoulder.

Ellie lined the needle up again, finding it easier the second time since she knew what to expect when she pushed the needle through the skin.

"Sure," Ellie said as calmly as she could. "Actually, it'll probably look pretty _tuff_ on a guy like you."

Tim was still with it enough to smile as best he could at her. He took his hand off hers and pushed her hair back away from her face.

That was what he told her when she had been jumped. It felt like ages ago.

"I probably could have just stitched it up myself," she said, trying to ignore the fact that she was shoving a needle in and out of skin instead of fabric, like it should have been.

"Nah," Tim said, dragging a rough thumb across her cheek. "I'll look okay with a big scar on my face. You look better like this."

_Put my hand around your shoulder,  
__You're saying you're scared is all.  
__I think I know too much about you._

_

* * *

_

A/N: The next chapter of Tender will follow this one. Expect it soon. We're serious this time.


	8. Complicate Me

**Disclaimer: Susie Hinton owns The Outsiders and Matchbox Twenty owns the song "You're So Real."**

* * *

_Sometimes you're the best time__  
__I've ever, ever known.  
__Pretty girl with a wicked smile on._

There was something incredibly exciting about knowing something big that Tim didn't know. Curly reveled in these moments when he was the one to break the news - only if it was good, though. He'd just as rather jump in front of a moving car than tell Tim bad news about anything. It wasn't that he got pissed off and ran off swinging punches, it was that he didn't react on the spot at all. You could tell he was pissed off, but he didn't explode and despite the fact that Curly knew his brother, it was still nervewracking to see him like that.

He knew Tim would be with Monty somewhere, it was just a matter of tracking them down. After finding no one at home but Angel, he busted his ass to get over to Monty's aunt's house before someone else beat him to the punch.

"Damn, Tim, you're a hard man to find when there's news," Curly declared, bursting through the door unannounced. Monty's aunt, Betsy, was fixing up the living room when he walked in and Curly licked his lips and took in her full figure. "Hey there."

She rolled her dark eyes and shouted down toward the kitchen, "Hey Tim, your little brother's here."

"Thanks, babe," Curly said, winking at her and heading for the kitchen. Tim and Monty were sitting at the table talking about the Tigers that were working their way closer to Shepard territory every day.

He spun a chair around and straddled it opposite them.

"What's up?" Tim asked. Curly could hear the way he was trying to not sound annoyed with him, but he ignored that and slid a red handled switchblade out of his pocket, flicked the blade out and stabbed it into the wood of the table.

"Hey Bets," Monty called. "Curly's stabbing your furniture."

She poked her head around and glared at Curly and the knife sticking out of her kitchen table.

"You think you guys can find somewhere else to meet? I'm gonna start chargin' y'all rent," she said.

"I always clean up for you," Monty argued.

Curly laughed and Tim slapped him on the back of the head. Monty thought he was such tough shit, but he was like a momma's boy. Curly didn't get why Tim relied on him all the time. It was bullshit.

"Shut the fuck up, Curly," he told him, grabbing the knife and pulling it out of the wood. "I'll take care of him, Betsy."

She just shook her head and went back into the living room.

"What's this about?" Tim asked, handling the knife with expertise.

"Man, Tim. Your face really does look bad," Curly said, studying the uneven stitches in his face. "Who did that?"

Monty snorted and Tim glared at him evenly and said, "What the hell are you here for?"

"Oh," Curly said, remembering the big news. "Guess who I got that knife off of."

"You know, Curly, you're supposed to stop playin' guessin' games when you reach puberty," Monty said.

"Just get on with it," Tim said, scratching his eyebrow with his thumb.

"I got that offa your girlfriend when the principal was takin' her to the office after she jumped a Soc, a fuckin' Soc, in the hallway," Curly declared proudly.

Just as predicted, Tim was absolutely silent at the news, but his eyes were slightly larger than usual. He was shocked.

"Wait, wait, wait," Monty said, leaning into the table and looking at him. "You're tellin' me that that little broad he's datin' _jumped_ a Soc? A guy?"

"A football player," Curly clarified. "I don't know how she did it, but she was sittin' on top of him holdin' that blade against his face."

Tim was staring at the knife, taking in the information and as best as Curly could guess, trying to imagine how Ellie could have done something like that. She could be fiesty, sure, but she was usually pretty quiet and Tim knew that.

"She get hurt?" Tim asked, setting the knife down and staring at Curly.

"Not that I saw, but she did get suspended for two weeks," he said.

"No shit," Monty said, seemingly impressed. He slapped Tim on the back, "You're gonna have to take that broad out or something. I didn't think that kid had it in her."

XXX

Tim always knew what to do. He prided himself on that and he knew that Ellie more than likely needed a way out after getting into trouble at school. And he wanted to hear it from her that it was true. Without wasting too much time after Curly dropped the news was Tim heading toward her house to pick her up if she was there. He wasn't parked outside for longer than two minutes before the front door opened and she walked out, yelling over her shoulder to the voices following her outside.

Tim reached across the front seat to open the door and she ran across the yard and got in. Her door was barely closed before he peeled off down the street.

"How'd you know?" she asked, her hair whipping around her face with the breeze from the open windows.

Switching the gears, he looked over at her. "News travels fast."

She sighed and rested her head against the door, her hand covering her eyes. Tim tried to drive on in silence, but it was hard to ignore the way she looked so pathetic like that.

He set his hand on the back of her neck and massaged along her hairline with his fingers. Slowly she dropped her hand from her face and stared blankly ahead before looking at him.

"Go ahead and ask. I know you want to," she said, sounding as though she'd been drained by her parents.

"You tried to knife that Soc that jumped you, didn't you?" he asked.

"Something like that," she said, pulling his hand away.

"Curly makes it sound like it _was_ that," he told her, stopping at a red light.

She was trying to comb her hair with her fingers, which was down and uncurled for the first time in weeks. Twirling a lock around her finger she said, "It was that. I didn't plan it or nothin'. It just happened."

"You mind tellin' me how you managed to jump a football player?" he asked, looking right at her.

Ellie sighed and motioned toward the light.

"It's green," she said.

"Don't change the subject," he told her, gunning the engine.

"I kicked the back of his knees and he went down like a ton of bricks," she said, frustrated. "And I didn't cut him or nothin'. And before you ask, he didn't touch me."

Judging by the sideways glance she was giving him, he could tell he should draw the line there. He couldn't figure out why she was so stand-offish, but he wasn't going to force her to talk about it. Maybe it was her parents getting to her, or maybe it was the two week suspension she was thinking about. Ellie was one of those goody-goodies. At least, she used to be.

"Is this the most trouble you've ever been in?" he asked, trying to hide a smile.

"According to Mom, I'm grounded," she said. "The last time she grounded me I was seven and I spilled my milk all over the bills she was trying to sort out. So yeah, this is the most trouble I've been in."

"Ain't it great?" he asked, turning onto the Ribbon. "Wanna go to the Dingo to celebrate?"

She was staring forward and nodded without saying a word.

XXX

Tim Shepard had lost his mind. Maybe he'd been taken one too many punches in the fight with that bum. Maybe something was wrong with the way his face was healing and this was the start of an infection. Whatever was going on, Tim had gone crazy.

He pressed his foot down on the gas pedal like his life depended on it, trying to get to Buck's and get a room before she changed her mind. With every passing mile, he could feel her shying away, deciding that the act she had initiated in the car wasn't what she really wanted to do. Tim hadn't been laid in months and he obviously wasn't thinking clearly. He was afraid that being gentlemanly enough not to screw her in the backseat of his car was going to ultimately screw him over. She was finicky and shy. This wasn't like her, and Tim was smart enough to know that he may as well take advantage of her when she was willing. And so far into their relationship, that had been only this once and he was afraid he missed his chance.

He thought briefly of bringing her home because it was so much closer than Buck's, but he had a feeling that would kill the mood faster than Hank Williams blasting their ear drums.

He pulled into a spot at Buck's and looked over at her after he shut the engine off and pulled the keys free. She was staring, with that same blank look she'd had for most the night, at the roadhouse. _Fuck,_ Tim thought, thinking he'd already blown his chances. She was going to shy away, he knew it.

"Ready?" he asked, opening his car door.

Shaken out of her trance, she looked at him and nodded. Silent as mouse.

XXX

It was almost surreal- Tim pulling her through the crowd at Buck's with the same urgency Dally used to lead her with.

As Tim bickered over the bar for someone to give him a room for the night, Ellie was scanning the crowd around her blindly, not knowing exactly who or what she was looking for, until she locked her gaze with Dally across the room. Sylvia was hanging all over him, but he didn't seem to notice as he stared back at Ellie. She could almost hear what he was thinking and she could imagine the way his hand was clenched around his beer bottle as Tim was handed a key and turned to talk to her.

"Ready?" he asked her again, his hand wrapped tightly around hers.

Ellie wondered that even if she said that she changed her mind about it, if he would just let go of her hand and drive her home. But she knew she wasn't going to. She wanted to go upstairs as much as he did. And she knew she wanted to for all the wrong reasons.

"Let's go," she said, following his lead. Heading up the stairs, she looked down and saw Dally standing closer to the base of the steps. She couldn't take her eyes off of him until she lost sight of him around the corner.

XXX

Things would have been a whole hell of a lot easier if she were just a few inches taller, so Tim pushed her toward the bed. She was trying to compensate by standing on her tip toes and pulling herself up closer to him as he kissed her.

Tim pulled his shirt up over his head and dropped it to the floor and started freeing the buttons on her shirt. He shuddered when she went for the button on his jeans again. This time he didn't stop her. He was a good enough guy to not nail her in the backseat of his car, but words could not express how happy he was that she picked up right where they left off earlier.

"You're full of surprises," he told her as he trapped her knees against the bed, forcing her back on to it. He kicked off the rest of his clothes and caught her blushing something fierce as he crawled into bed beside her. He put a hand on her hip and unzipped her skirt.

"I'm surprising myself," she said, gingerly touching his face where she stitched it up. "Don't waste it. I don't have to go to school tomorrow or nothin'."

So she was having second thoughts and Tim, taking her advice and acting on the moment before she shied away from him, took the opportunity for all it was worth. This wasn't quite the relationship he had imagined, simply because he never imagined it going as far as they had made it. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this was still the same girl he'd more or less conned into going out with him. The same girl who'd just had her emotions toyed with and really didn't know any better. It was her, but she'd come out of her shell and for the first time since he'd met her, she'd let her guard down.

XXX

Waking up in the middle of the night and finding the small space of the bed beside him empty slightly alarmed him. He sat up, threw the blankets back and called her name.

"Shit," he muttered, pulling his pants on as he glanced around the room. Her clothes were gone and the door was open ajar. Silently, he crept down the hallway toward the slit of light shining under the community bathroom door at the end of the hall. He stopped when he heard her quiet voice contrast with Dally's harsher tone.

He couldn't make out what was being said, but he didn't want to hear it. He walked back to the room and crawled back into bed and laid awake waiting to see how long she would be gone. She didn't disappoint and Tim feigned sleep as the door creaked open and she crept back into bed. He could tell by her movements how she was trying not to wake him.

Opening his eyes, he glanced over at her "Where'd you go?"

She didn't hesitate when she replied, "To the bathroom."

She convieniently left out the part about running into Dally and Tim burned a little with jealousy. What the hell was she doing meeting him in the middle of the night?

"Everything okay?" he asked, trying to get a little more out of her.

Shadows fell over her face, but Tim was trying to read her features nonetheless.

"I'm fine," she replied, rolling on to her side.

He wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her against him, keeping her there so she wouldn't wander around in the night. For that moment he decided to trust her and give her the benefit of the doubt. He realized that he trusted her enough because she trusted him.

_You don't know me too well,  
__You ain't seen my bad side._

* * *

_A/N: It's been awhile, eh? Sorry, but more is to come. _

_Did anything actually happen with Ellie and Dally, or did they just happen to meet? Check out Tender is the Night to see for sure!_


	9. Imitation of My Walk

_**Disclaimer: The Outsiders and all recognizable characters belong to SE Hinton. We just borrow and play. The song, "So I Need You" belongs to 3 Doors Down.**_

_

* * *

__If you could step into my head,  
__Tell me would you still know me?_

Tim was sitting with his feet propped up, watching TV in the makeshift office he and Curly had found. It was a scrapped business, one that never had a chance in their neighborhood -- not when it was open and not any time in the near future either. Thus, it was his office, especially when Monty's aunt was fed up with his gang trampling around in her house.

He heard the door open and someone walk in, the obligatory whistle followed and Monty poked his head in.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting down the chair beside Tim.

"A whole lotta nothin' right now," Tim said, bored.

"That mean we're hunting up some action?" Monty asked.

Tim looked over and grinned at him. That was exactly what he wanted to do.

"What kind of action are we looking for?" Monty asked, leaning back in the desk chair and lacing his fingers behind his head.

"Wanna pick up some cars? I think we could use some cash to throw a party," Tim suggested.

Monty froze and looked at him. Tim sat still as he watched Monty study him.

"Did you finally get fucking get laid? Is this why you're in such a good mood?" Monty asked, sitting up straight again.

He couldn't help the smug grin that formed on his face.

"You did, you sonufabitch. Who'd you do?" he asked, punching Tim in the shoulder.

Tim gave him an even look and said, "Who the hell do you think?"

Monty let his jaw fall open, obviously surprised at the answer.

"Ellie? Are you kidding me?" Tim offered a small, affirming nod. "No shit man. How much did she have to drink?"

"Fuck you man. She's shy, not prude," Tim said, callously.

"I thought her shyness was terminal," he said.

"You know how she got in trouble at school? Well, she was in the mood to get all her aggressions out," Tim said, suggestively.

"All night long?" Monty asked.

Tim kicked his chair and Monty let it roll across the floor for a couple of feet before stopping it himself.

"Are we makin' some dough tonight or not?" Tim asked, standing up.

Monty stood up, motioning for Tim to lead the way.

"I ain't about to waste your good mood on Captain Kangaroo," Monty remarked, following Tim out into the growing twilight.

XXX

Tim called her and told her to hang out at home until he could come and pick her up. Now she was just sitting pretty and waiting for him to show. She was beginning to think it wasn't going to happen.

Alone on the couch she blindly watched TV, listening to hear the sound of his car pulling up outside so she could make a dash for it before he even got out. She was hoping it would happen before her mom got out of the shower, but there was no such luck.

"What you watching?" she asked, sitting down beside her on the couch.

Ellie glanced over and grimaced at the sight of her mother wearing one of Jimmy's button ups and not much of anything else.

"Nothing," Ellie answered.

There was a God because she heard Tim pull up outside. Trying to make a quick escape, she leaped up but Abigail grabbed her arm before she could get around her.

"Your boyfriend?" she asked.

Ellie didn't know what to make of her tone and nodded slowly.

"It's going on eleven-thirty on a Friday night. You're supposed to be grounded," she pointed out. "You never even came home the other night."

"So?" Ellie asked. She was hoping Tim didn't walk up to the door.

"What are you going to do with this boy?" she asked, tightening her grip.

Tim honked his horn.

"I'm going to a party," Ellie said. "I'll be back later."

"He sounds like a gentleman," she said sarcastically, letting go of her arm reluctantly. "Do not get in trouble."

"I'm already in trouble," Ellie mumbled as she bolted for the front door. Looking back, she added, "It's not like you've brought home any role models."

She shut the door between them before she had a chance to hear what her mom said.

Her mad dash across the lawn to Tim's car slowed considerably when she noticed Monty sitting in the front seat. She got into the back and Monty turned around and glared at her.

"What the hell took you so long?" Monty grumbled as she got in.

"My mom," she said, annoyed. "She was trying to act like a mother tonight."

"Don't she know we don't have time for that shit?" Tim asked, pulling away. "We gotta make a quick stop."

"Where?" she asked.

"Pick up the party supplies," Monty told her.

It seemed innocent enough, but that wasn't usually the case when Monty and Tim were involved.

XXX

Tim pulled the car around the back of a closed liquor store on Sutton. Just because he and Monty had pulled in a ton of cash knocking off a couple of cars didn't mean they were really going to blow it all on alcohol, even when Monty was old enough to buy it legally.

Not a chance.

"What's going on?" Ellie asked, she leaned over and looked out the car window.

"Getting party supplies," Tim reiterated as he parked the car and climbed out. He knew she wouldn't follow right away, so he turned back and looked into the car. She was sitting there, looking as though she didn't know what to do.

Monty got out and walked around the car, joining Tim.

"She staying in the car?" he asked.

Tim needed all the hands he could get, and he wasn't about to let her just stay in the car. He knocked on the window and signaled for her to get out, and she finally scrambled out.

"You must realize that this place is closed," she said coolly as she joined them.

"You're a sharp one," Monty said.

"Shut up," she suggested.

"You know how to drive?" Tim asked her.

She looked at him, confused.

"I ... uh," she was stammering.

"Don't bullshit me. Yes or no?" Tim asked.

"Steve's let me drive his car around the block a couple of times," she said, crossing her arms over her middle. "But not fast or anything."

Monty let out a whistle and Tim grabbed her hand and forced his car keys into it.

"Again, man? She ran off last time you did that," Monty said. Tim was getting a little tired of how he kept talking as though she weren't even there.

"I'm fucking kidding," he said, looking between them. They both looked like they were in shock. He continued, "While we get inside, I want you to open the trunk and then start the car back up. You got it?"

If her eyes weren't huge before, they looked like saucers now.

"You got it?" he repeated. She nodded quickly, and he added, "Once that's done you get inside and help carry shit out."

She looked at the trunk and then at the keys he was holding in her hand. It took her a few seconds, but she snapped out of her nervousness and looked up at him with confidence.

"Okay," she said.

He liked seeing how far she was willing to go.

XXX

Ellie was sick to her stomach, but she kept her eyes wide open and her ears trained for the sound of approaching cars. She stood back b y the open trunk, the car was running and she was wishing like hell the two of them would hurry up inside so they could go.

Monty rushed outside, arms overloaded with cases of beer and a bottle of something between his fingers.

"Don't just stand there, darlin', grab something," he instructed.

She grabbed the bottle from between his fingers before he lost it on the pavement. He set the two cases in the trunk and glared at her.

"That ain't exactly what I meant," he said, snatching the bottle from her and cracking it open. "You've got two hands, go grab something inside like Tim already fucking told you to do."

"I'm goin'," she told him.

Monty grabbed the bottle from her and cracked it open, taking drink.

"Go get a case and quit worryin' about the fuzz," he told her, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Go."

Ellie mumbled under her breath and walked into the dark liquor store.

"Tim?" she called, softly.

"Yeah?" he replied, and she moved toward his voice.

She walked up to him as he hefted two cases in his arms.

"How many can you carry?" he asked.

She shrugged and put her arms out and Tim set both boxes into them. They were a lot heavier than she thought they'd be.

"Don't trip over nothin'," he said, steadying her and turning her back toward the door. Monty passed her on the way in and he winked at her. Ellie wanted to stick her tongue out, but she was trying too hard not to drop the heavy boxes. She breathed a sigh of relief when she made it to the car without dropping them. Setting them in the trunk, she rearranged the boxes so they could fit more and ran back inside.

Monty was running back out with two more boxes in tow and she met Tim halfway.

"How many more?" she asked, holding her arms out.

Tim shook his head and handed her an empty box.

"We got these, go into the store and grab some of the hard stuff," he told her.

Ellie took the box and Tim didn't wait for her to protest as he walked out of the store, leaving her alone. Not wanting to disappoint, she walked out into the dark and empty main floor and stared at the aisles of dark bottles.

Walking down the last aisle, wanting to be as far away from the windows in the front, she starting grabbing bottles by the necks and setting them in the box. Whiskey, rum, vodka ... she handled the box in one arm and tried not to clink the bottles as they went in.

She was about to turn the corner when she heard footsteps and then two arms clamped down on her. She lost the grip on the bottle in her hand, the sound of it shattering on the floor made her blood run cold.

"Shit," Tim said into her ear, grabbing the box from her. "Calm down. It's just me."

"You scared me," she said, trying to take his advice. She could hear her heart beating in her ears.

"It's okay," Tim said. He peered into the box. "That's plenty."

"Don't scare me like that again," she said, following him out.

"Sorry," he said, looking like he was trying not to laugh at her. He had a gleam in his eyes that she hadn't recognized before. Maybe it was the thrill of doing something they shouldn't be doing and not getting caught for it.

They walked through the back storeroom and through the door to the alley where Monty was waiting already in the driver seat. Ellie pulled the back door open and slid in and Tim set the box on the seat beside her. He walked around and got in and Monty eased out of the lot and they were on their way.

"We made out pretty good," Monty said.

Ellie shook her head and reached into the box and pulled out a bottle of Wild Turkey.

"You guys are nuts," she said, popping the bottle open.

Tim was turned around in his seat watching her. He looked amused.

"I've gotta settle my nerves now," she said, taking a sip. "Don't judge me."

"You did good in there, kid," Tim said, reaching for the bottle. "We'll have to do it again sometime."

She handed it to him and tried not to smile but couldn't help it.

"Not bad at all, girly," Monty acknowledged as he sped down the dark street.

XXX

The party was complete pandemonium inside and out, but there was more room outside so that's where Tim led her.

She watched him, thoughtfully, with every exchange he had with others, and was shocked in how little he was drinking. They had just knocked off a liquor store, and he was only on his second beer in a little over an hour. Everyone else around them was well on their way to a bad morning.

Monty joined them outside with his date of the week, but Ellie wasn't much in the mood for him. He'd been nicer to her lately, but he just couldn't seem to keep it up all the time. It wasn't that he was mean, it was just that same, incessant teasing Dally and the guys would torment her with all the time. Nothing she couldn't handle, but it could get old fast. Tim must have been getting bored with it, too, because he was the one who got up and walked away, pulling her in tow.

She followed him away from the ruckus near the back porch and back around the side of the garage. She was surprised no one was back there.

"He's an asshole, I know," he said, turning around suddenly. She backed up against the wall of the shed and watched him watching her. "But he's my buddy. I've known him forever."

Ellie just shrugged and said, "I don't care. He's actin' just like Steve or Two-Bit, just trying to get a rise outta me. Nothin' I ain't used to."

He moved in and set his hands on her hips and said, "You surprised me tonight. You're pretty tough sometimes."

She laughed.

"I've been hanging around with boys most my life," she said. "And not the nicest boys either."

"It ain't all that," he said.

"Well, I guess tryin' to knife a Soc brings it out in me," she said, explaining it away. "I was scared outta my mind."

"When? Knifin' the Soc, or in the store?" he asked.

"Both," she said.

"It didn't show," he said. He leaned down and kissed her. When he leaned back, he had that same look in his eye as he did in the store. "Except for shattering that bottle all to hell."

"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

Tim grinned down at her. "You're just lucky Monty wasn't in there. He'd be giving you hell for wasting liquor like that."

XXX

Interruptions weren't welcome, but Tim knew better than to not expect them. Not even a closed bedroom door would have kept business away.

"Oh, man, sorry," Monty apologized.

Tim pulled away from her and looked at Monty, annoyed.

"What?" he snapped. He stood ready for the news and ready to act.

"Uh, your brother just got here with Rick. They said they saw a couple of Tigers workin' on our turf," he explained.

"Fuck. Okay." Tim looked down at Ellie. She was blushing but nodded at him understandingly.

He followed Monty back up to the house, Ellie just a few steps behind them. Curly and Rick were waiting up at the back porch.

"Sorry, man," Curly said, getting a glimpse at Ellie stepping up behind him.

"Don't worry about it, what'd you see?" he asked, impatiently. He fucking hated it when people beat around the bush with him.

"Rick and me were headin' over this way, but kinda patrollin', too," Curly explained, "and there's three Tigers knockin' off cars on our turf."

"Where?" Tim asked.

"Cleveland and Marshall," Curly said. "Right on the edge, but still on our side."

He sighed and looked at Monty who looked as ready as Tim was to make a move.

"Wanna go?" he asked Monty.

"I think I'm up for it," he said, cracking his knuckles.

"I'm in," Curly said.

"No, you're not," Tim said. Curly's face fell. "You guys stay and have a good time and watch out for her."

Tim turned around and faced Ellie. She looked disappointed but not mad. Maybe a little more embarrassed than anything else.

"I'll be back in a little bit," he said. "We'll pick up where we left off."

Curly snickered and Ellie blushed.

He felt like he owed her something, so he leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. If she were red before, she was crimson as he let her back up and people clapped and whistled around them.

He made sure to leave her wanting more.

XXX

There was something strangely amusing about watching two guys strip down a car on his turf. Two guys that didn't live by his laws and two guys that were Tigers. He could possibly give these two boys the benefit of the doubt and assume they didn't know the territory lines, and seeing as how this particular street was right on that line, he could pretend that he understood the confusion. But he wasn't going to.

"What do you wanna do?" Monty asked from the passenger seat.

Without taking his eyes off the boys across the street from them, he replied, "I ain't about to let them make a dime offa my turf on my watch."

Monty slid on a pair of brass knuckles and held them up so they would glint in the dim light from the streetlamp.

"Let's go."

The beauty about catching invaders on his turf was that it was his turf. He knew every street and where to walk like he knew which floorboards to avoid in his own house because they squeaked. He also knew that when these boys saw him and Monty coming, they wouldn't run. If they reported back to Will Bridges empty-handed without putting up a fight, they would get it ten times worse from their own leader. Tim knew this because he was the same w ay with the boys in his gang. If he told them to do something, they did it.

The Tigers stopped working when they heard the car doors open and Tim felt a surge of adrenaline. No one was going to make a profit off of his turf unless it was his boys making it. These two were going to learn the hard way.

XXX

By the time they got back to the party, it had died down almost completely and what remained had moved behind the privacy of bedroom doors.

Inside, he and Monty waded through beer bottles and Monty nodded toward the couch where Ellie was curled up on one end asleep. Tim crept up to her and gently shook her awake. Tiredly she glanced up at him and then sat up.

"You busted your stitches open," she said, reaching up and tracing the healing scar with freezing fingers.

"Don't worry about it," he said, pulling her to her feet. He led her down the hallway and she didn't protest when he led her into a back bedroom and closed the door behind them.

"Have fun, you two," Monty chimed from down the hall.

She shook her head and looked him over as he collapsed on the bed. She leaned over him and inspected the ripped stitches on his cheek.

"I think it'll be okay," she said. "It looks healed enough."

Her fingers gingerly touched the bruise forming on his jaw before she leaned over and returned the kiss he'd given her just before he left. Circling his arms around her, he pulled her as close as he could.

__

I can't let you go my little girl,

'_Cause you're holding up my world.  
__So I need you._

* * *

_A/N: This is almost caught up with the end of Tender is the Night. Things are really starting to come to a boil: Tim and Ellie and the Shepards vs. the Tigers. What's going to happen?_


	10. Wound Too Tight

**Disclaimer: We do not own the characters or the world Susie Hinton created in The Outsiders. We simply just play with them. We also do not own the song "Burn it to the Ground" by Nickelback.**

**FYI: This chapter follows the chapter 43 of Tender is the Night. **

**And lastly:**

_"This fic/chapter is being posted as part of "Good Fic Day," an effort to raise the quality of writing here. We hope to encourage more writers to improve the quality of their own fan fiction - spell check, grammar check, keep the gang in character, outline, plot and don't use Mary Sues. Good fan fiction requires effort, and we would like to encourage other writers to rise to the challenge of producing better fan fiction, not only for our readers, but for S.E. Hinton, who created the wonderful book we are trying to honour."_

_

* * *

_

_Well it's midnight, damn right  
__We're wound up too tight_

Tim pulled her through the parked cars at the Nightly Double a lot faster than she was used to keeping up with.

"What's your hurry?" she asked. He walked faster, annoyed that she sounded amused by his reaction to finding her alone with Dally.

He didn't answer her, he just kept pulling her along until they reached his car. He got in, slamming his door shut behind him and she got in slowly, watching him apprehensively as she pulled her door shut as well.

Without a word he pulled out of the lot, kicking up clouds of dust behind him. When she said she was going to be busy hanging out with her friends after she got out of school, he didn't take that to mean she'd be getting cozy with Dallas Winston behind his back. Again.

XXX

By now, Ellie was getting used to Tim's driving, but there were still times she sat on pins and needles hoping to make it from point A to point B in one piece. Then again, Ellie didn't think there had ever been a time she'd been in a car with Dally that she didn't hold her breath at least once. She figured she ought to be used to it by now, but she still kept her eyes closed nice and tight as he rounded the corner.

Tim tore out of the Nightly Double and zoomed off, passing other cars as though he was in some huge hurry.

"Slow down," Ellie suggested, holding onto her seat.

He looked over at her and then went faster. Ellie was feeling green around the gills.

"What was all that about?" he asked, as he passed another car.

Ellie was too busy trying to brace for impact to answer his question.

"Ellie." He was demanding her attention now. "What was he talking about?"

She knew it was too good to be true to just leave what happened at the movies with Dally behind. Dally tried too hard to stir up some dust between her and Tim for it to go away. She should have known that Tim would have played it cool around Dally and then would want to know from her what was going on.

"Give me a fucking answer," he said, sharply.

"About what?" she cried. "Nothing happened!"

He swore under his breath and slammed on the brakes and pulled to the side of the road. Ellie had to brace herself against the dashboard to keep from flying out of her seat. Tim ignored her reaction, put the car in park and glared at her.

"What's the big secret that Dally knows? If you're fuckin' around with him behind my back, so help me, Ellie-"

"What would make you think that?"

"Every time I turn around, he's got his hands all over you and you ain't exactly doin' shit to get him off. I don't really give a shit if you decide to break this off and go back to him. That's your misfortune, but you ain't gonna make me a fool 'cause of Dally Winston. You hear me?" he threatened.

Ellie stared at him completely dumbfounded. She couldn't figure out what sparked his rampage. Dally had just been his usual self moments before; it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him. Tim should have known that.

"You ever notice that he's a lot bigger 'n me? A lot stronger, too? He's just as grabby as any boy on this side of town is, yourself included. And that was nothing back there. You hear me? You an' I made a deal about this and I ain't about to go behind your back on it all," she said, trying hard to not let her voice shake. "He went behind mine and I know how that feels. I'm not about to do that to somebody else."

"What about the other night? The night we were at Buck's? I woke up and you were in the fucking bathroom with him. Closed doors," he said, pointedly.

"I got up to go to the bathroom and he was already in there. I ran into him," she explained, getting angrier at each accusation.

"Then why'd you lie about it?" he asked.

Ellie shook her head and tried to keep her eyes locked with his, but she'd never seen him so angry with her. He was so calm one moment and then blazing the next. This outburst came out of nowhere.

"I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to bring him up. Every time he gets into the mix, it's some kind of fight. No one can let things rest and move on," she said. "Look, I know why we're doing this, why we started going out, but until now, I didn't think it was why we were still in this."

He looked away, either embarrassed or angry. She decided he was angry when he cursed under his breath again.

"Was I wrong? I guess you can just drop me off at home if I was," she told him, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms as she studied him. "If you're still just trying to one up him, I don't know if I still wanna play this stupid game. Is it that damn important that you're so much better then him that you gotta prove it every chance you get? I'm still here, Tim. I'm not seein' him, I'm just trying to be friends with him again because it makes everything easier for me. I didn't know that was so goddamn awful."

He didn't say anything for a long time, but he finally looked over at her again.

"Then what was all that about back there?" he asked, his voice calmer.

It was her turn to be silent. She tried to decide if she wanted to open that can of worms again. However, she knew that if she told him it was nothing, he'd probably go off on her again.

"He won't leave me alone about Michael Holden," she said. "He still wants to know why he jumped me."

"Well, why did he?"

She leaned her head back, annoyed. Tim had already told her that the subject was dropped, that he wasn't going to pry her for information she didn't want to share.

"I'm not having the same fight with you," she told him.

"Fine," he said, starting the car up and throwing it into gear.

Neither one of them said another word for the drive to Buck's. Emotions sat stewing between them.

XXX

It would have been too easy to just hang out for the night, shooting pool and having a few drinks without interruption. He couldn't say that after what happened in the car that he wanted to be alone with Ellie, but it had been a long week and he wanted to unwind a little. He knew he was ignoring her, but there were enough people stopping by to chat with her that he wasn't too worried about it.

Monty was lining up his shot when Todd Howell came barrelling into the room, out of breath.

"What's up?" Tim asked, coolly.

"Guess who pulled up outside when I was comin' in?" he asked.

"Guessing games?" Monty asked. "Really, man, just tell us."

"Bridges is here with a few of his guys," Todd said quickly. "He don't look like he's too happy."

"Lucky for him I ain't either," Tim said.

He moved around the table and made sure he had a good view of the door. He waited only a few seconds before Will and four other Tigers walked in. Todd was right about Will not being in a good mood. He was definitely looking for a fight.

Monty and Todd stood waiting for instructions and Tim addressed them saying, "We ain't gonna rush into this, let him stew for awhile. He's pissed about Monty and I knocking his guys around, and that's just what I wanted. Todd, go round up a couple more of our guys. Ronnie and Greg should be close by. Get Curly, he said he'd be up at the bowling ally. May as well even the score, you think?"

"Sounds good, Tim. I'll be back in a few," Todd said.

Monty circled back around the pool table and stood beside Tim. Will had found them and nodded in their direction.

"This oughta be fun," Monty said.

"We need a little fun," Tim said.

"You shoulda had Todd take the broad home," Monty commented, lining up his shot again.

Tim looked back at Ellie who was talking animatedly to a couple that had sat down with her. That prank she helped pull at school had gained her a bit more notoriety in the last week or so. She seemed to be enjoying it enough.

"She'll be fine," Tim replied, taking his turn.

XXX

Ellie had a love/hate relationship with Buck's. She was never particularly happy to be there, but she was usually fine once she arrived. This night, however, was not a good one. Tim had sat her down at a table in the back near the pool tables and had been busy most the night talking to Monty and Todd and a few others that came and went. As far as she could tell it was business he didn't want her wrapped up in, so she didn't make much of an effort to leave the table when he did. To his credit, though, he always stayed close by, glancing in her direction every once in a while.

A bunch of people she knew from school kept coming up to her to ask about the prank on the senior Socs. She told the same story at least four times over the course of the hour she had been there, and even as good a story as it was, she was tired of telling it. She also had to go to the bathroom. She glanced over at Tim, but he and three other guys were talking - something was obviously going on - and she decided to just get up and go rather than interrupt.

There was a long line and, of course, they all had to be girls. She was surprised Tim hadn't rounded the corner trying to find her by the time she made it into the bathroom.

When she was through, the line was still as long as it was when she got into it. Making a mental note to not have another reason to visit the restroom for the rest of the evening, she walked back out into the bar and toward the backroom where her table was. She was cut off short as she walked along side the bar. Someone kicked a leg out, stopping her in her tracks. It was Will Bridges.

"Well, lookie here," he said, dropping his leg as someone else stood in front of her. "Lost, sweetheart?"

"No," she said, making a move to get around them. Will reached out and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back. "Hey!"

He had a mean grip on her wrist, and she winced beneath it.

"You're datin' Shepard, ain't ya?" he asked.

She nodded quickly.

"I want you to tell him to come out and play," he said. He was so close to her she could smell the beer on his breath.

She didn't have to, though. He must have seen what was going on because he, Monty, Todd, and a couple of others she could see behind them stepped into the mix. Tim had a pool stick swinging between his fingers and looked to be in a dangerous mood.

Will let go of her wrist without being asked and Ellie backed out of the impending fight, but stayed close enough to hear what was going on. The whole room noticed, too, because everyone was moving around to the perimeter of the room, watching. This was going to be bad.

Tim barely moved back enough to allow Will to get away from the bar. The pool stick was still swinging precariously between his fingers.

Everyone between the two groups looked ready to fight at the drop of a hat.

"She's cute, Shepard," Will said, nodding in Ellie's direction. "Kinda shrimpy, but I'm sure she's got it where it counts."

"We ain't here to talk about her," Tim replied, not bothering to glance in her direction. Ellie figured that was okay since she was blushing something fierce as others followed Will's gaze.

Will grinned, opening the floor to the new conversation.

"I guess that would leave you beating the fuck outta two of my guys the other night. Huh?" Will said.

"I wouldn't have had to if they weren't sneakin' around on my turf," Tim said, coolly. "I wouldn't expect any less if my boys were sneakin' round on yours tryin' to make a dime."

The pool stick was making Ellie sick as she thought about what Will might look like when it was all said and done. She knew there as going to be a fight. These were just the pleasantries.

"You see Shepard, a couple of your boys do. Well, they come sneakin' round my turf lookin' to score some grass and whatnot. I figured supply and demand, and the demand is on your side, too," Will said. "What I really came here for was about a couple of your tattletales, running to you after my guys sold them some stuff. If I got unhappy customers, that's my business. None of yours."

Ellie watched Tim as Will started handing him information. His face didn't change, and there wasn't a noticeable flinch at the information. She knew Will was probably only saying it to get a rise out of Tim, or Tim already had his suspicions.

Everything was calm for several seconds, no movements, no words, just everyone watching everyone else, waiting for something to happen. That was when Tim swung the pool stick, aiming for Will and the chaos exploded around the room.

Tim and Will were fighting over the pool stick and causing plenty of damage to each other over it. With a solid grip on the stick, Tim swung a punch with his free hand right into Will's face. Will countered, grabbing the stick with both hands and driving it upward into Tim's nose. Tim barely faltered, never giving up an inch despite the blood gushing from his nostrils. Thinking on the fly, he was able to yank the pool stick back out of Will's hands. He swung without hesitation, breaking the stick on Will's head. It was a blow that would have fazed anyone else, but Will smiled wickedly and lunged for Tim's midsection, knocking him to the floor.

Ellie had to stifle a shriek as she watched Tim fall to the floor. She was suddenly scared when he didn't immediately hop back up and keep fighting. Instead he laid there as Will started kicking his ribs with so much force, Ellie could almost feel the kicks herself.

"Get up," she mumbled under her breath. "Get up."

As Will pulled his foot back for another kick, Tim turned into it and grabbed his other foot, pulling it out from under him and bringing Will down to the same level. They struggled for several seconds before Tim reached out and grabbed one half of the pool stick within his reach and pressed it into Will's throat. He stopped fighting and started struggling as his airway was suddenly cut off.

No one seemed to react. No one seemed aware that Tim was choking a man to death right in front of them. Will's legs thrashed and kicked, trying to loosen Tim's hold on him, but to no avail. Ellie told herself Tim wouldn't kill this guy right then, but as the seconds continued to pass, she was readying herself to jump in and make him stop. She released the breath she was holding when Tim finally allowed Will a gasping breath. He stood up and looked around the room.

"Knock it off," Tim shouted, and within seconds the boys in his gang backed out of their fights.

He backed up and Will picked himself up off the floor. He straighted out his shirt and ran a hand through his hair, trying to act cool despite the way he was still struggling to catch his breath.

"It ain't over, Shepard," he threatened. "Not even close."

"Get the fuck outta here," Tim told him. "And take your goons with you."

Nodding at his boys, Will followed them toward the door. Ellie crossed the empty circle the crowd had cleared for the fight and made her way toward Tim. Will saw her, though, and stopped just inches from Tim.

"She's awful cute, Tim. You better keep an eye on that one," he said, sneering at him.

Ellie felt her blood run cold the way he said that. Tim didn't let it slide, either. He grabbed Will by the collar and shoved him so hard against the wall he cracked the plaster behind him.

"She ain't got a thing to do with this shit. You lay another hand on her, Bridges, and I'll fucking throw you off of one. You understand me?" Tim threatened.

"She's cute is all, Shepard. Lotsa guys are willin' to take advantage of somethin' like that," Will said. "Just a fair warnin'."

Tim punched him in the face and pushed him away.

"Get the fuck outta here," he said.

Will wiped the blood off his newly split lip and strolled out whistling.

XXX

He collapsed on the bed, laying on his back and closing his eyes.

"Lemme look at it," Ellie said. She sat on the edge of the bed, the springs bounced and his head throbbed even worse.

He said nothing and kept his eyes closed. The shock of ice being set against his nose woke him back up, though.

"Shit, stop it," he said, removing her hand and the ice.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

"Just leave it alone. It ain't broken, it'll be fine," he told her, annoyed.

He sat up and looked at her sitting there. His blood was on her fingers from where she'd been trying to clean him up for the past half hour. She was looking at him, obviously wanting to bring up what happened downstairs, but she was probably afraid to.

"Listen to me," he said, commanding her attention. He didn't want her to get pulled into this, but now it didn't look like there was much choice. There really wasn't much choice in ending it with her any time soon either. "He's bad news. I want you watchin' over your shoulder all the time. You understand that?"

He could tell she was trying really hard to not look scared, but she was. Her eyes were wide and her face paled at the mention of the threat.

"I doubt he's even gonna try. He's gunnin' for me and my turf, not you," he said, trying to allay her fears. "But just to be safe, don't so much as step out of your house without someone with you. You understand?"

She nodded and looked at her hands in her lap. There was a bruise forming where Will had a hand on her wrist and it burned him up inside. He took her wrist and she pulled it back, shying away from him.

"What?"

"You woulda killed him, huh?" she asked, weakly. "That ain't the first time I've seen you nearly beat a person to death."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, not believing that she was pulling shit like this. "That sonufabitch does that to you and you're worried about him takin' his next breath?"

"You're fighting over who can run what streets! It's a stupid thing to die over," she blasted. She starting pacing in the small room.

"Unbelievable," he said, almost laughing.

"I get it, Tim, I really do. I get why you guys like to fight and why your turf is such a big deal, but killing each other over it? It ain't worth dyin' over," she said, earnestly. Her voice was shaking. He noticed her hands were, too.

"If you get it, then you wouldn't be questioning it," he told her, coolly. He stood up, trying to intimidate her by towering over her. She stopped pacing and stood in front of him, looking up.

"I don't got anything either, you know. I've got my friends and the hope that maybe one day I won't be livin' like this no more," she said. "Ten years from now, I am not going to be living like my momma. But you and Dally and everybody else is still gonna be livin' like you are now and that's just plain sad."

"Maybe so, but at least I got something. What do you have? Sleepin' around from one guy to the next doesn't count," he said.

She looked hurt when he said that, but to her credit, she didn't start crying.

"You sound just like Dally," she said, hurt.

"Don't fucking say shit like that," he complained. "Jesus."

"I think I want to go home," she said timidly.

"You can think that all you want," he said.

She crossed her arms and shifted her weight. She looked like she was trying to challenge him with the glare she was giving him, but he was impervious to it. He just laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

"Why are you acting like such a jerk right now?" she asked, miffed.

"Because I'm not in the fucking mood for this right now," he shot back.

"Then take me home," she demanded.

"Don't fucking leave this room," he ordered her. "I've really had enough of it all tonight."

"You an' Dally are exactly the same. You know that?" she said.

He finally opened his eyes and looked at her from where she was standing at the foot of the bed, glaring at him.

"You sure nothin' happened with him? If you think him an' me are so alike, then it's not too hard to believe you runnin' back to him," he said.

"I already told you nothin' happened," she said, not even flinching.

He matched her stare for several seconds, trying to see if he could read her if she was lying, but he didn't know. At this point he really didn't give two shits if she ran back to Dallas. The animosity between him and Will Bridges had just doubled and now he had to worry about what Will said about his boys looking to score drugs off of him. The fact that Todd only returned with Greg and Ronnie hadn't passed under Tim's radar. Not to mention now he had to keep tabs on Ellie all the time, especially if he fouled up anymore shit between the two gangs. Will didn't have much of a conscience, and he wouldn't just keep it between the gangs like it should be.

"Just cool it tonight, sweetheart. No one's going anywhere," he said, scooting over a little to make room for her on the bed.

It took her awhile, but she finally sat down.

_We'll go 'til the world stops turning,  
__While we burn it to the ground tonight_

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_A/N: Fire and ice. Seriously, though. Ellie and Tim can be just as explosive as Dally and Ellie. Lots of stuff is about to happen. Stay tuned!_


	11. Dangerous

**Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders, Susie Hinton does, though. We also do not own the song "Break Stuff" by Limp Bizkit.**

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_

_It's just one of those days,  
__When you don't wanna wake up_

Bad nights had even worse mornings.

It had taken Tim most of the day to get out of bed, deal with Ellie and then find Curly. He'd sent Monty out to find Rick and deal with him. Tim didn't much care that Curly and Rick weren't at Buck's the night before to help deal with Will. The numbers were even enough, but Tim was worried about what Will had said about his boys being customers. Curly wasn't where he said he'd be the night before, and considering how he and Rick were partners in crime, he knew whatever they were doing, Rick was in on it, too.

If his little brother was using that shit, so help him God, he was going to beat the tar out of that little shit.

Tim got home and stormed inside. Angel was watching TV on the couch.

"Get upstairs," he ordered.

"I'm watchin' this," she whined.

"Get up there or I'll make you get up there," he said, sharply.

She rolled her eyes and got up. Walking past him she said, "He's in the kitchen."

Tim waited until she was upstairs before he went into the kitchen and caught his little brother like a deer in the headlights.

"Where the fuck were you last night," he asked, seething.

Curly eased backward a few steps. He never backed down from a fight in his life, but he looked scared right then.

"At the bowling ally. I told you me and Rick were going over there," Curly defended.

Being caught in a lie was the worst way to get caught by Tim.

"You lying shit," he said, breathing fire.

He caught Curly by the collar and yanked him out the back door. Outside, he slammed him up against the side of the house roughly.

"Todd went over there to get you and you weren't fucking there. Neither one of you," Tim said, angry. "When you say you're gonna be somewhere, you'd better fucking be there. You hear me?"

Curly nodded quickly. He was struggling against Tim's grasp, but it only made him tighten his grip.

"Where were you, Curly?" he asked, pointedly. "And don't lie to me."

"We went there. We were there. I swear, man. I swear," Curly cried.

Little brother or not, Curly was a part of the gang and he knew Curly was lying to him. Tim sucker punched Curly, striking his ribs with enough force to knock the wind out of him.

"Shit ... man," he panted, struggling to catch his breath.

Tim let go of him and Curly crumpled to the ground.

"Are you buying drugs off of Tigers? Huh?" Tim asked, daring him to tell the truth.

Curly looked up at him, his teeth clenched and bared. He tried to get up, but Tim knocked him back down. He set his foot on his chest, keeping him there.

"How'd you know about those guys sneakin' round on our turf that other night? I didn't fucking tell you or Rick to patrol that night. What were you doin' over there?" he asked.

"Nothin'. We were just out," Curly gasped.

"How come I got Will Bridges fucking telling me that I've got guys sneakin' over to his turf to score grass offa his guys? Huh? Tell me why, Curly."

"I ain't the one doin' it!" he cried. "Rick ain't either."

The whole truth was that Tim didn't know for sure. He didn't know if Curly was smoking anything more than cigarettes, all he knew is that when he needed him, Curly lied about where he was. Tim reached down and yanked Curly back to his feet and smashed him back up against the wall.

"You listen close to me. If I find out you're lyin' to me about this and I gotta find out from someone else, you're gonna be in a world of pain. If I found out the reason Will's movin' his boys onto our turf is because my own boys are going to them for shit, I ain't gonna be happy," Tim said through clenched teeth. "I've got enough shit to clean up I don't need anymore added to it."

Curly nodded, wincing.

Tim let him go, but swung one quick punch connecting to Curly's temple.

"Fuck, Tim," he whined.

"The next time you say you're gonna be somewhere, you'd better fucking be there. Where were you two?" Tim asked.

Curly dropped his hand where it was holding his head, and looked Tim in the eye.

"We were there, we just got bored and walked over to Jay's," Curly said.

Tim held his gaze for several seconds, trying to read it for all it was worth. He said, "Don't lie to me again, Curly."

Curly nodded, stiffly. Tim put his hands on either side of Curly's face, patting his cheek hard with his right hand.

"I mean it, kid," he said, letting go. They kept their eyes locked for a few seconds before Tim turned to go inside.

He walked through the house, passing Angel who was standing the bottom of the stairs, staring at him nervously.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked.

"Business," he told her, plainly. "I'll be back later."

Tim got back into his car and swore under his breath. He hated roughing up his own brother like that, but he didn't tolerate being lied to about what went on in his gang. He couldn't treat his brother any differently than he treated anyone else in the ranks. And simply because he was his brother, Tim had to keep an even shorter leash on him.

XXX

Tim had every intention of catching Dally at the stables, but he completely missed him there and had to resort to word of mouth and his own dumb luck to find him. He finally spotted him walking along Sutton heading toward home. He pulled up along the curb and rolled the window down.

"Winston, I gotta talk to you," he shouted, not leaving much room for debate.

Dally raised an eyebrow and kept walking, but not without saying, "Fuck off, Shepard."

"Piece of shit," Tim uttered under his breath, shutting off the engine and getting out of the car. "I ain't fucking kidding."

Dally turned and stood in the middle of the sidewalk, facing Tim and looking ready for a fight. As much as Tim would have liked to have knocked Dally's head off of his shoulders for getting fresh with Ellie - he knew shit was going on between them - he had other business to attend to.

"The fuck do you want?" Dally said with a grimace.

"Look, I ain't havin' this conversation on the street so get into the car," Tim told him, seriously.

"Where's the fuckin' fire?" Dally asked. "Out with it. I got shit to do."

"Just get into the fucking car," Tim said, tired of the bullshit. He turned and got back into the car, knowing full well Dally would follow eventually. He stood there for a few seconds before he lumbered toward the car and got in. "Christ, Dally. Maybe I oughta reconsider what I'm askin'."

"Fuck you. What do you want any way?" Dally asked, impatiently. "What a piece of shit car. Ellie sure ain't usin' you for this."

Tim clenched his fist, keeping it out of sight, and took a breath before he said, "Well, she wasn't usin' you for yours."

Dally lit up a cigarette and switched the radio on, making himself too comfortable.

"Now that that's outta the way, what's up?" he asked.

Tim briefly reconsidered what he wanted to say, but figured he'd been through too much hassle in the last few minutes to just turn him away now. He started, "Look. Shit's really heatin' up 'tween my gang and the Tigers. I know I don't gotta ask, but I gotta make sure my ass is covered when the shit flies. Can I count on you and your boys if I need it?"

It didn't seem possible, but Dally actually looked serious and nodded reassuringly.

"Anything for a fight, man. I'd like to beat the fuck out Bridges myself," Dally said.

"Not a chance," Tim corrected him. "Bridges is fucking mine."

"Yeah, until he knocks you down and starts kicking all your ribs in. Then he's mine," Dally said.

Tim shook his head and shrugged it off, he more business to attend to.

"This ain't all I need you for," Tim said.

"Look, I already told you I ain't like that," Dally said, leaning back against the door and laughing like a goon.

"Can you be serious for one goddamned minute?" Tim blasted. "The only reason I'm talking to you is because I can't do everything on my own, especially with Ellie."

Dally shut up and looked at Tim confused.

"What the fuck does she have to do with anything?" he asked.

"Bridges and I got into the other night and she was there and he noticed. He might be gunnin' for her and I want you to keep an eye on her when I can't. She's over on your side more than she's over 'round mine," Tim told him.

Dally was staring out the windshield, breathing through his mouth. Tim had seen Dally really pissed off before, but this was a look he couldn't quite place.

"Did he touch her?"

"Let me worry 'bout that for now. Just keep your eye on her when she's home and such," Tim told him. "I'm gonna have Curly keep one on her, too."

"You're going to have your fuck up of a brother babysit her? Ain't he the one that needs the babysitter?" Dally snorted.

"And like I told you, I'll worry about that. I doubt he's gonna take the time to mess with her, but I ain't takin' no chances with that. He wouldn't just slap her around if you know what I mean," Tim said, subtly.

"Yeah, I know," Dally said. He smashed his cigarette into the ashtray and cursed a long string of curses under his breath. He looked out the window and a smile crossed his lips. "I take it you haven't told her I'm her new babysitter, have you?"

Tim followed his gaze and saw Ellie approaching them with the smallest Curtis brother and his buddy. Neither of them seemed too concerned about Dally sitting in a car with Tim, but Ellie looked worried.

"No, I ain't told her and I expect you won't either," he said as Dally climbed out of the car and leaned in through the open window. "You know just as well as I do that if you tell her to do something, she sure as hell ain't gonna do it. I wonder where she learned that from."

Dally shrugged, his arms propped on the car door. "Only the best, I s'pose."

"Keep your hands offa her," Tim warned him.

"I ain't the one you gotta tell that, too," Dally said with a snicker.

"Says the asshole who got caught cheating," Tim said.

"Says the asshole with the sloppy seconds. Not to mention you're fucking pussy whipped," Dally said, smirking.

"Shut the fuck up before I cut your balls off. You won't have shit to worry about after that and neither will I," Tim returned.

Dally just kept smirking and didn't walk away when Ellie hurried up to meet them. She seemed to be trying to be as discreet about her concern as possible but she was failing miserably. She almost looked panicked at the sight of him and Dally talking civilly for the first time in months.

"You'll keep an eye on her?" Tim asked before she was within earshot.

"Yeah, yeah," Dally said as Ellie quickly approached them. "Hey, El."

"Hi," she said skeptically, glancing between both of them. "What's going on?"

"Why would anything be going on, dollface?" Dally asked.

She gave Dally a sour look and then looked back into the car at Tim. He noticed that she was standing as far as she could get from Dally as should could while still being able to hear Tim inside the car.

"Well, when you two are together and not fightin', something's usually going on," she replied.

"Glad to see you listened to me," Tim told her. He didn't want to give Dally the opportunity to start running his mouth.

"About what?" she asked.

"Not walkin' by yourself," he said.

She nodded curtly and shrugged, as though she were embarrassed.

Before Tim pulled away from the curb, he looked past Ellie to Dally. "I'm serious about what I said before."

"Quit worryin', I told you I'd take care of it and I will," he replied before he walked over to join the youngest members of their little gang.

"What was that all about?" Ellie asked.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "How was work?"

"It's never good news when you and Dally are actin' like buddies," she said, ignoring his attempt to distract her.

"Anybody ever tell you that you worry too much? It's just business. None of your concern."

"Who'd you get in a fight with?" she asked.

"You were there last night," he said.

"Yeah, but some of those are fresh," she said, gesturing to his hands where they rested on the steering wheel.

Tim grinned. She didn't miss much of anything. "Like I said, business. Stop worrying."

"That's easier said than done," she said. "With you, there's always something to worry about."

She was still pissed with him from the day before, he could tell that much judging by how standoffish she was being. But he could tell she had simply resigned herself to worrying which was what she did best. And with Will Bridges on the prowl, she would have plenty to keep her occupied.

"I gotta go. I'll see you later," he said.

She stood there, awkwardly, for several seconds before she leaned into the car and kissed him quickly before backing off almost as fast. He must have really pissed her off the night before, because he knew he only got that much because Dally was standing there.

"I'll call you," he said, putting the car into gear and pulling away from the curb.

He never heard her say anything, but he looked back in the rearview mirror just as she punched Dally in the shoulder as the four of them walked up the street.

_My suggestion is to keep your distance,  
__'Cause right now I'm dangerous_

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_A/N: Thank you for your reviews!_


	12. Can't Get Off This Ride

**Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton does. We also do not own the song "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry.**

* * *

_You're hot then you're cold,  
__You're yes then you're no,  
__You're in then you're out_

Tim had been driving around all day, just patrolling the neighborhood and looking for some action, but there was nothing much going on. It was early afternoon on a Tuesday and the only places that seemed to be jumping were the restaurants along the Ribbon. Even those were mostly junior high kids, enjoying their summer vacation.

He had just turned the corner, heading down Front Street when he noticed Will Bridges. It wasn't so much Will that he noticed, as it was his blood red Impala that was parked in front of Joe's Grocery. He could have spotted that flashy piece of shit a mile away. Even though he floored it, Bridges was still gone by the time Tim parked and jumped out of his car. He watched the convertible speed down the street for a brief second, and then all but ran inside the store.

He scanned the store quickly but couldn't find Ellie anywhere. The only soul to be seen was a spindly old woman who gave him a nasty glare before turning back to her shopping list. He walked across the store, glancing down each aisle. He finally found her down the last aisle, mopping up red tomato paste.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

Her face was red, but she looked angry, not scared.

"Will Bridges comes in here because of _your_ stupid war and messes up my displays. That's what happened," she told him, matter-of-factly.

"How long was he here?"

"Just long enough to drop most every single can of soup in this display I stacked this morning, and long enough to shatter this jar of tomato sauce."

"That's all he did?" Tim asked. It burnt him up that Will thought he could come and go on his territory so easily, but he thought it was almost funny that all he did was toss around a couple cans, leaving Ellie with steam coming out of her ears. He was too much of a coward to really do anything other than make a mess.

"That's _all_?!" Ellie cried, her face turning redder by the second. "He dented all of those cans of chicken noodle soup and now the whole display is sitting crooked. Who's going to buy that? And what's Joe gonna say when he gets back?"

Tim chuckled and took the mop from her, leaning it against the crooked pyramid of Campbell's soup. "Calm down a minute, would you?"

"It's not funny!" she yelled. "It's one thing that you and him are at each other's throats, but how did I get dragged into all of this? I know most things ain't fair, but this is just plain stupid! You gotta do something about it, because I ain't cleaning up another of his messes. Yours, neither."

He held his hands up to get her to quiet down. "I'll get it under control. All I needed was for him to stick his nose in this side of town again, and he did. I'll take care of it."

Ellie stared silently at the puddle of red sauce on the floor before she grabbed the mop and handed it to Tim.

"Before you clean up your own mess, why don't you clean his up first? Because I sure ain't doing it."

He stared after her, mop in hand, as she stomped back to the back room. He dropped the mop against the shelf and followed after her. He noticed when she cringed as a few cans of soup were knocked off balance and crashed to the floor. He fought to keep a straight face.

"Ellie, you need to do me a favor," he said as she spun around before she could yell at him for knocking over her display.

She looked ready to spit fire. "All this happens and _I_ gotta do _you _a favor?"

"Yeah," he said.

She sighed and crossed her arms, leaning on the wall beside the stock room. "What makes you think I owe you anything?"

And she was still mad about what he'd said the other night, or rather, what he didn't say. Leave it to a girl to remember shit like that.

"Look, I know you're still pissed at me 'bout the other night, but we've got bigger fish to fry right now," he said.

"So? It ain't got a thing to do with me," she said.

"It didn't 'til you walked right into the middle of it. Will's got you on his radar now and he ain't just gonna leave it at this," he said, motioning back toward the mess in the aisle.

She said nothing. She just stood waiting for what he was going to ask her to do, so he got on with it.

"I want you to keep tabs on Curly," he told her. Her nose crinkled up and she looked beyond confused. "He's doing something behind my back and I want you to keep an eye on him."

"What makes you think that for one minute he's gonna tell me anything?" she asked. "Not to mention, he ain't gonna just let me watch him. He's too smart for that."

Tim swallowed a laugh. Not a whole lot of people referred to his brother as smart.

"I already got that covered, 'cause while you're watchin' him, he'll be watchin' you," he told her.

This time Ellie pushed herself off of the wall and was giving him a glare so hot, a lesser man would have backed up.

"You're going to have your little brother baby-sit me? He ain't into anything, you're just tellin' me that so I don't get mad about you wanting to keep tabs on me!" she cried.

"I ain't fuckin' kidding around here," he said, not amused with her at this point.

"Well, I'm not either," she said, spinning around and going into a room marked "Employees Only."

Tim stood there for several seconds before he followed her into the room. She was sitting on a stack of boxes in the corner of the small storeroom, her chin resting on her hand.

"Look," he said, crouching down to her level, "it's a little of both. I don't want you alone and Curly's into something I don't want him into. I know he's lyin' to me about things and maybe he'll let something slip in front of you that."

She dropped her hand. "Fine."

"What's up?" he asked.

She tucked strands of hair behind her ear but continued to stare hard at the dirty concrete floor.

"Remember a while back when Monty brought me back from Buck's? That night Will cornered me?"

Tim nodded.

"Monty told me that Will had a habit of carryin' around a gun and that girl who got shot at the Dingo was shot 'cause of him," she explained.

"That's just a rumor. I doubt that was Will," he said, trying to calm her fears. It was just a rumor; there was no absolute proof to it because the case had never been solved. Tim also wasn't there to see who had the gun and whether or not Will was involved. He had his own suspicions, but he wasn't about to relay them to Ellie given the circumstances.

"You should know," she said in a small voice, "he had one today."

Tim stood up immediately, ready to kill Bridges. Ellie finally met his eyes.

"You guys gotta be careful," she said. "This is getting outta control."

"It ain't outta control," he told her sharply. "It's handled. And when you get off work tonight, me or Monty'll be here. Don't go nowhere with anyone else."

"What if I already have a ride home?" she asked, her voice clipped.

Christ, the girl was a fucking mystery to him. Pissed off one second, terrified the next, and then right back to being mouthy.

"Well, now you got a new one," he snapped.

"Fine," she said, like an insolent child. "I gotta get back to work."

"Who's stopping you?" he asked, still towering over her.

She didn't say anything to him and calmly walked past him and back into the store as though he weren't even there. Scratching his eyebrow with his thumb, he was wondering how it got so far between them. He knew, though, that he couldn't blame her for being mad at him for all of this. This was more than she had bargained for and he was determined to keep her unscathed.

XXX

There were a dozen things Ellie would have rather been doing than hanging out at the bowling alley with Curly and Rick. They didn't want to bowl a game and didn't want to play pinball or anything else either. Instead, they were doing everything in their power to get rid of her. Apparently Curly wasn't too thrilled about keeping tabs on her either.

The three of them were sitting at a table drinking Cokes and trying to be civil with one another. Well, Ellie was trying to be civil, but they were making it difficult. Curly was flicking little balls of napkin at her, most of them flew past her face and were landing on the floor.

She managed to dodge another one when she finally asked him "What happened to your face?"

"Got into a fight," he answered, trying to sound cocky as he flicked another paper ball at her face. The look on his face betrayed the way he sounded as he rolled another ball of paper on the table. He looked hurt.

"With who?" she asked.

"With a Tiger," he answered. He dropped the napkin ball on the table and then brushed it to the floor with his arm.

"When?" she asked.

"You ask a lot of questions," Rick said, annoyed.

"And you're rude. I was talking to him, not you," Ellie answered.

"That makes you rude for ignoring me," Rick replied.

She opened her mouth to reply, but Curly jumped in. Apparently one of them on her back wasn't enough.

"You two have done it, haven't you? You and Tim, I mean?" Curly asked, but instead of coming off suggestive and trying to embarrass her, he seemed more embarrassed himself for having asked.

Ellie stared at him, though, willing him dead for even asking. Rick was laughing.

"If you did it, he'd be out with you and not dumping you on us," Rick butted in.

Ellie gave him a cold glare and said, "I already told you it ain't none of your business so quit worryin' about what we've done."

Rick leaned in close and was studying her face. He pulled back, stroked his chin and said to Curly, "You know? I think they've done it. She's tryin' too hard not to blush. Plus, it ain't like it's some big secret. She's probably gone prude now and won't do it with him no more. That's why he's dumping her on us."

"And what have you two done?" Ellie challenged. She had hung around boys too much because here she was trying to brag about what she'd done. "Bet you're both all talk."

Animatedly, Rick turned back and looked at her, a smug smile forming on his lips. Curly tried to mimic the same look, but he looked like he was out of the joke more than anything.

"You know Carla Reese?" Rick asked.

"No," Ellie said. "Who is she?"

"She's older. Hangs around Buck's a lot," Rick boasted. "And so do I."

"It don't count if you have to pay for it," Ellie told him, trying to keep her face neutral and bored. She cracked a smile when Curly burst out in surprised laughter. Rick reached over and punched him in the shoulder, which only made Curly laugh harder.

"Fuck off, man," Rick suggested. He lit up a cigarette and said, "At least I ain't easy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ellie asked.

"What do you think it means?" he replied.

She narrowed her eyes at him, understanding exactly why Steve and Rick didn't get along.

"You're impossible," she said.

"And you're a bitch," Rick replied. "Tim oughta trade up."

"And you oughta grow up," she suggested.

"If we didn't have to watch you like some little brat, we'd be outta here," Rick threatened.

Ellie saw an opportunity to get some information out of him. She figured the faster she found out where Rick and Curly went, the faster she could get off of this stupid duty.

"And where would you go?" she asked, trying to sound bored and annoyed by the whole conversation.

"Somewhere you ain't," he said, blowing his smoke in her face.

She was trying to come up with a good comeback when she noticed Dally walk in. Confused, but happy to see a familiar face that wasn't Rick or Curly's, she nearly jumped out of her chair trying to get to him before he left without seeing her.

"Like I told you," Rick said to Curly behind her back, but loud enough for her to hear," she's easy."

She made a mental note to tell Steve that Rick deserved a serious thrashing. She dashed up to Dally and met him as he walked toward the food counter along the back wall of the alley. He was ordering a Coke when she came to a stop beside him.

"Boy, am I glad to see you," she exclaimed.

"I ain't never heard you say that to me," he said, tossing change to the soda jerk.

She hooked a thumb in Rick and Curly's direction. "Next to them, I'd rather hang out with you."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes.

"Why are you hanging around Dumb and Dumber for?" he asked, studying them over her head.

"I'm on duty," she told him.

He smiled a genuine but sinister smile.

"So am I," he said.

"For who?" she asked.

"You."

Ellie frowned and Dally laughed his distinct laugh.

"Aw come on, you really think Tim's gonna trust those two to keep an eye on you?" he asked.

"I just don't believe he actually asked you," she said. Tim didn't seem like he wanted her anywhere near Dally. Why would he ask him to keep watch on her?

"Must be serious then, huh? Oh yeah, he told me I ain't allowed to touch you," he said. "But I won't tell if you won't," he added with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

She grimaced. "Please don't start that," she pleaded. "I'm just starting to like you again. Don't ruin that."

"Sure, babe," he said.

"Don't call me stuff like that, either," she told him. "I'm gettin' enough of that from the peanut gallery over there."

"What peanut gallery?" he asked.

"Rick and Curly."

"They ain't there no more," he told her.

"What?" she asked, surprised. She turned around, saying, "Sure they ... aren't."

The table was empty and she didn't see them anywhere in the building.

"Shit! Where'd they go?" she asked, a little frantic.

"They left," Dally said. He took a long swallow of Coke. "Man, it's hot out today.

"What?"

"Outside. It's fucking hot." He turned back to the counter, muttering to himself loud enough for her to hear. "Christ, she doesn't fucking listen."

"Rick and Curly! Where did they go?" she demanded.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, he turned her around and pointed at the door.

"They got up and walked out the front door. What don't you understand about that?" he asked, speaking to her like she was stupid.

"Why didn't you say something? Now Tim's gonna kill me!"

"You were the one who didn't wanna hang out with them no more. You're off the hook," he said.

"No I'm not," she said. "What if they get into trouble? Then it's my fault!"

"Christ, forget it. Let's go do something," he suggested.

She glared at him, trying to get her point across, but he seemed oblivious.

"Do you have a car?" she asked.

"Nope," he said. "I walked over here."

"You're useless," she said.

"That's what my old man says," he said. He sounded proud of it.

She stood there for a few seconds, trying to come up with a plan. In all honesty, she didn't want to be walking around by herself, but she figured if she walked out Dally wouldn't be too far behind. Acting on that belief, she started toward the front door and was pushing it open just as Dally was on her heels.

"They don't have a car, either," she pointed out. "They couldn't have gotten too far."

"And what are you gonna do? I ain't playing babysitter for them. You're lucky enough I'm doing this for you," he told her, following her outside.

"Gee, thanks. I don't know how I've survived my entire life without you following me every single place I go. Thanks for playing hero today," she said, sarcastically. "Just help me with this. The sooner I know there's something going on, the sooner I can tell Tim and the sooner I don't have to hang out with them."

He simply lit up a cigarette and followed when she started off.

XXX

Rick unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

"Anyone home?" he called. When no answer came, he grinned at Curly and shut the door behind them. "Didn't think so."

"Where's your sister?" Curly asked, following Rick toward the staircase.

"Probably waiting for Steve to get off work," Rick answered.

They walked up the stairs to Rick's bedroom and shut the door behind them. Rick started digging through a drawer and Curly sat on the edge of the bed, waiting.

"Man, your brother is off his nut," Rick said, pulling a few things out and setting them on the dresser. "I never got why he was seeing her in the first place, but it don't seem like he's got a lotta interest left in her if he's dumping her on us."

Curly shrugged. "I don't know. He doesn't really tell me much about it."

"He leaves you out on a lot more than he used to, huh?" Rick said, tossing a stack of rolling papers at him. "Shit, we're gonna have to make a run 'fore long. We're almost out."

Curly shrugged again, the reason sitting squarely in his hands. Tim knew he was into something he shouldn't be and that was why. He didn't think smoking a little grass could really do much damage. He rubbed his face where it was bruised and reconsidered slightly.

"He knows about this," he told Rick. "Well, he thinks he knows. I think he knows ... He can't prove it, though. And I think that's another reason he dumped Ellie on us."

Rick scowled and plopped down the bed beside him, reaching for the papers.

"You still got a thing for her?" Rick asked.

Once again, Curly shrugged. He'd always had a schoolyard crush on Ellie and he never really knew why. She was feisty and played back when a lot of the other girls screamed and ran away. But then there was always Steve Randle to deal with when Curly started to really tease her in grade school. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but Curly was bummed when Ellie went out with Tim, especially because she had never even considered going out with him. But then, she seemed concerned about the bruises on his face ...

"You've got to be shitting me," Rick muttered, brushing the curtain back from the window, slightly. "She fucking followed us here!"

Curly hopped off the bed and went to the other side of the window, peeking out.

She was pacing on the sidewalk in front of Rick's house with Dally. They were talking in not so hushed tones and Dally seemed to be at the end of his rope.

"Come here," Rick said, leading the way out of his bedroom and to Evie's room down the hall. He brushed the curtain back, unlocked her window and opened it about an inch so they could hear better.

"Go knock on the door then," Dally dared her. "You wanted to follow 'em to see where they were going."

She paused and looked behind her and then looked back at him, saying something but neither one of them could hear it.

"Christ, El, they're home. They ain't gonna do nothin'," Dally said. "Forget about it."

She seemed to be considering it, and she started up the walk toward the front door.

"Shiiit," Rick said under his breath. "She knows we're in here."

Curly was watching in anticipation because instead of walking away, Dally followed her, walking quickly. They couldn't see anything from their vantage point, but a few seconds later he was dragging her back to the sidewalk. They fought for a few seconds, but it was hard to hear them. It seemed to end as quickly as it began and she followed him up the street as she took one lingering look back at the house.

"And like I said, she's easy," Rick said, getting back up.

Curly watched until they turned the corner and started down another street.

"They're friends," Curly corrected him, getting up himself and following Rick back to his bedroom.

"They _were_ friends and then they dated. They went all the way, man," Rick said, starting to roll a joint. He handed it to Curly along with a lighter.

"So?" Curly said, childishly.

"Quit gettin' your hopes up with her. It ain't gonna happen, man. After she and Tim are over, you really think she's ever gonna want to date another one of you?" Rick asked. "She's easy but nobody's _that_ easy."

Setting the joint between his lips, he fired up the lighter and tried to act like Rick wasn't right.

_You're wrong when it's right,  
__It's black and it's white.  
__We fight, we break up,  
__We kiss, we make up._


	13. Can't Stop Now

**A/N: This world belongs to SE Hinton. We merely play in it. The song "Feel" isn't ours either. Much thanks to matchbox twenty.**

**Also, this chapter is being posted in honor Good Fic Day. Learn it. Love it. Live it.**

_

* * *

_

You said you never took a ride

_And now you wanna play.  
__Well, it's a big, big city,  
__Let me show you around sometime._

"You're not funny," Ellie told him as they walked side by side toward their neighborhood.

"I'm a fucking riot," he replied, lighting up a cigarette.

"You're more likely to cause a riot," she corrected him.

"I'm a lot more fun than those two fuck-ups," he said.

Ellie really couldn't argue with that. It was a lot more fun to have Dally get on her nerves than Rick. She knew, by now at least, the mean things Dally said were to get a reaction out of her, not to hurt her.

"Tim's gonna be mad, though," she said. "I'm supposed to find out what they're up to."

"Christ, it ain't that difficult, princess. They're probably smokin' grass since neither one of 'em is too bright to begin with and 'cause they don't have enough cash to do anything harder than that," Dally said, annoyed.

Ellie studied him for a minute, trying to figure it out for herself. "You really think that's what they're doin'? 'Cause I ain't so sure."

"I'm fucking positive," he said.

"And how do you know that?" she asked impatiently.

"Because Curly Shepard is one dumb fuck. Tim's gonna beat him into the pavement if he ever catches him doin' it," he said.

Ellie thought back to the bruises on Curly's face.

"You really think he'd hit him? His kid brother?" she asked.

"Well, if he were my kid brother, I don't know how I'd be able to resist," Dally replied.

They walked in silence as Ellie contemplated what Dally was telling her. She liked Tim and she wanted to do right by him, but she wasn't about to set Curly up to get his head smashed in. She didn't know what to do.

They were walking by the little park not too far from the lot and he made a detour to the swings. He leaned against the frame and smoked his cigarette. Ellie sat on one of the old swings and rocked slowly back and forth.

"Did he really ask you to keep an eye on me?" she asked. "Or are you just doing it to get a rise outta him?"

"Why would that get a rise out of him?" he asked, a knowing grin spreading across his lips.

She rolled her eyes. "I just can't believe he asked you and that you're actually doing it."

He grabbed the chains of the swing in either hand, and standing in front of her, stopped the gentle swaying. He fixed his eyes on hers.

"Dal," she warned.

"Still playin' games with him?" he asked. "In over your head yet?"

"Stop it," she told him.

"I think you've peaked with him," he said, cocking his head to the side as though he were trying to figure her out. "You don't know how to break up with him, but what I can't figure out is why he ain't broken up with you."

Here he went again. She made a move to stand up but as she got to her feet, he pushed her backward so she was leaning into the seat of the swing, pulled taut. She was standing on slightly higher ground than him, facing him head on.

"You don't like him," he said.

"I don't like you either," she said, speaking without really thinking. He was too close and she was pretty sure that she was lying to herself.

He snickered. "That's what I thought." And then he leaned in and kissed her.

XXX

Ponyboy was mixing up the batter for a new chocolate cake, and Ellie sat at the kitchen table, feeling completely useless just sitting there.

"Want me to make the icing?" she asked.

"If you want," he said, scooting over and giving her some counter space. He already had everything out so she went to work mixing up the ingredients. She had helped their mom so many times, the measurements were ingrained in her memory.

She was barely getting everything mixed together when she heard the front door open. She was surprised when she heard Tim call her name.

"Shit," she muttered.

Ponyboy looked a little concerned. "Everything okay?"

She nodded as Tim walked into the kitchen.

"Where've you been?" he asked. He didn't seem happy, but that was nothing new for him.

"I've been here," she said, wiping her hands on a towel. "I didn't know you were looking for me."

"Come on. I need to talk to you," he said, turning around and heading back outside without waiting for her reply.

She stood in the kitchen for a short moment.

"Go on," he said, motioning in the direction Tim had left.

Ellie sighed. "We'll go to a movie soon. I promise."

"Sure. I'll hold you to it," he said with a smile.

XXX

It wasn't hard to tell that he was in a bad mood; his driving did all the talking when he wasn't doing any.

"What happened last night?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied, perhaps a little too quickly.

"With Rick and Curly. You find out anything?" he asked, pulling into the parking lot at the Dingo.

"Nothing happened. They ditched me when Dally showed up," she explained, trying to act normal.

He muttered a few obscenities she didn't catch and turned off the car. "I thought I told you to keep an eye on 'em."

She was trying really hard to keep her cool, but he was starting to really make her mad.

"I can't exactly tell them what to do, 'cause they ain't got a reason to listen to me," she told him. "And I'm not gonna follow 'em around all over creation when I don't even know what I'm supposed to find out for you."

"They're smokin' grass and I wanna fucking know where they buy it," he told her, shortly.

"If you already knew that, why don't you go figure it out? What the hell are you doing that's so damn important that you can't find out yourself?" she protested. "I got other things I could be doin' other than hangin' out with those two."

"Like fuckin' around with Dally?" he asked.

She felt her jaw drop, but she caught it quickly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, hoping her voice gave nothing away.

He shrugged. "It means what it means. Rick bitched to me all day long about you taggin' along until you split with Winston."

"You're the one who's got him following me around. I didn't do anything with him," she lied. She was not about to tell him how Dally kissed her the night before. Nor was she going to share how she kissed him back.

Neither one of them said anything for a long time. Tim broke the silence first.

"Look, I know they're smokin' because I can smell it on them. What I don't know is where they're buyin' it. I need to know if they are the ones buyin' shit from the Tigers. Will said something about my own boys buying his product. I ain't gonna get that out of them," he rationalized.

She instantly thought of Curly and how someone had beat him up. He said it was a Tiger, but with what Tim was telling her, a different scenario was playing out in her mind.

"Because you've already tried to beat it out of Curly?" she asked.

"Says who?" he snapped

She swallowed hard, instantly regretting bringing it up. "Says those bruises all over his face."

"That's what he said?" Tim asked.

"He didn't say anything. But you did, didn't you?" Ellie asked, knowing it would be worse to hear the truth instead of just assume.

Tim ran a hand through his hair calmly. "I run my gang how I run my gang. I don't ask you about every detail of your life, do I?"

"No," she agreed, "you just have everybody keep tabs on it so you don't have to!"

"Listen, none of this matters, okay? I need you to find this out for me. Maybe if you find something good out, me an' Monty can put Will in his place so he ain't bothering you anymore."

As mad as she was with him, it was a tempting possibility. "What makes you think they're going to tell me anything at all?" she asked.

"I don't. But you're good at listening and maybe you'll hear something about it," he said. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, Rick and Curly ain't the smartest. One of 'em is bound to let something good slip around you."

"Fine," she said, giving in. "You know, this isn't fun anymore."

He scratched his eyebrow with his thumb and rested a fist on the steering wheel. She wondered if he agreed.

"You want out?" he asked, completely composed.

"I just want this stuff to be over," she told him honestly. "I don't wanna feel like I owe you all these favors. What happened to us?"

Tim didn't say anything but started the car instead. She figured he had been planning on them eating lunch, but she'd just blown it with her big mouth.

"What 'us?' It was just a bargain, remember?" he asked, pulling back out onto the Ribbon.

His words stung, but they didn't hurt like she thought they should.

XXX

Their whole relationship was based on revenge - a deal just to get under Dally's skin. It was a simple enough endeavor, but he never expected to actually have a thing for the damn broad. He should have known better than to pick her up on the rebound. She wasn't over Dallas no matter how much he fucked her over.

"I've been looking for you, cocksucker," Tim greeted Dally outside the stables where Dally practiced for the rodeos.

Dally didn't appear to give much of a damn. "That so, Timmy?"

"I wanna fuckin' talk to you," Tim told him,

Dally smiled a self-righteous grin like he knew exactly what about to come out of his mouth. Tim wanted nothing more in the world than to knock that grin right of f his face.

"Look," Tim said, approaching him, "are you scammin' on her?"

Dally was trying to act coy. "On who?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, asshole."

"Oh, you mean Ellie. Well, you see, things were getting pretty hot an' heavy, and I had to push her offa me. She was real eager and I had to tell her 'no' 'cause I'm only supposed to be watchin' out for her," Dally said. "Not to mention, I got Sylvia takin' up most of my time nowadays, anyway. I don't need Ellie."

Tim took in a breath and looked away for a split second and then laid in for the attack. He wanted to beat the shit out of Dallas Winston. They fought, and while Tim knew he had the upper hand, Dally was no slouch of a fighter. It was over almost as fast as it began, just a quick fight to blow off the steam. That was all Tim needed and Dally was always willing to help him out.

"Christ, Tim. Don't get your panties in a bunch," he said, spitting blood to the ground.

He felt like he was at a crossroads. He didn't exactly care if they broke up, but he sure as hell didn't want it to end where Dally stole her out from under him. It was a situation of merely not wanting the other guy to have her simply because it was Dally and Tim was not going to lose to an asshole like Dally.

"Just make sure Bridges doesn't get a hand on her," Tim said, backing away and heading for his car.

"It ain't no fun if you don't give a shit," Dally called to his back.

Tim flicked him off and drove away. He had bigger problems than Ellie.

XXX

It was getting dark and Ellie was getting nervous. She had thought long and hard about how she was going to go about finding out where Curly and Rick were buying their drugs from. She had followed the two of them back to Rick's house again, but she had stayed far enough away that she was sure there was no way they had seen her. She could barely keep up with two boys with that much space between them, and she panicked every time they turned a corner. She had to agree with Tim: they really weren't all that bright. They weren't creative either, as they went back to Rick's house.

Ellie had been pacing up and down the street about a block away from Rick's, trying to decide what to do. Knowing she wouldn't find much out from this far away, she made her way up the sidewalk, hoping they weren't watching for her. She panicked when she saw headlights turn onto their block, and ducked into the neighbor's yard to hide at the side of their house. She was irritated when she recognized Steve's car. Of course he was picking Evie up for a date the night she had to patrol the Bradley's house. Luckily, she knew Steve wasn't much for parents and he wouldn't be hanging around for long.

She took the long way around the neighbor's house, an old split-level with ugly, chipped blue paint. There weren't any lights on inside and the light on the back porch of the house wasn't very bright. She easily made her way through the yard and followed the trees that served as a property border until she hit Rick's backyard.

"You think she likes me?"

Ellie took a small step back under the dark shadow of the tree. She could barely spot them, but the glowing ends of what she thought were cigarettes. She could see the faint outlines of Curly and Rick as they stood behind the rickety shed at the edge of the Bradley property.

"Christ, Curly, I don't know. Why don't you ask her?" Rick muttered. "Would you stop fucking hogging that?"

Curly passed it off as he exhaled and Ellie could faintly smell it. It was definitely not a cigarette.

"I mean, she was hanging around us the other day, she had to have had a reason, right?" he asked.

Rick passed the joint back to Curly and laughed. "Yeah and that reason was _your_ brother, remember? He's tryin' to keep his eye on us and he thinks he's bein' pretty clever using Ellie to do it."

Ellie rolled her eyes at the pieces of conversation she was hearing. Leave it to Curly to still have a crush on her after all these years. He really was dumber than she gave him credit for sometimes.

She listened as the boys smoked the joint, wisecracking at each other about nothing, at least nothing that made sense to her. She finally sat down next to the tree she was hiding under, wondering if she was ever going to hear anything worthwhile. It felt like it was going to be a long night ahead of her.

XXX

She was trying to twist her watch to catch some light so she could read the face. She had been sitting under the same stupid tree for what felt like a lifetime, though from what she could see, it hadn't even been an hour yet. The boys were still laughing about nothing and talking about all the girls she assumed they probably hadn't been with. She had gotten pretty good at tuning them out when she finally heard something good.

"Next Friday night's probably the only time I can make it over to Whitey's to get the stuff without Evie breathing down my neck," Rick said. "Think Tim'll let you out of jail for a little while that night?"

Ellie noted how hesitant Curly sounded. She couldn't blame him. It scared her a little to think that Tim could beat up his own brother on just a hunch.

"I'll see, but he's always lookin' over my shoulder, askin' me questions, shit like that," he said. "I lied to him and look where that got me."

"Man, if I had a brother that ran the gang, you can bet your ass he'd never treat me like that. I'd be his right hand man, not the bottom of the barrel. He sure as hell wouldn't have Monty as his backup. It'd be me," Rick said.

Curly laughed. "Sure, man. And when Tim's your brother, let me know how that goes."

"So Friday? Around midnight?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, sure. Midnight. Want me to meet you here?"

"Meet me at 17th and Prospect," he said. "With my luck, Evie'll be here with Steve and we'll never get out of here at all without her giving us the third degree."

"Alright. 17th and Prospect."

_And now you crossed that line,  
__You can't come back,  
__Tell me, how does it feel now?_

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A/N: Typical Curly, in over his head. How's Tim going to react with his brother's recreational activities?


	14. Where We've Come To

**Disclaimer: We still don't own _The Outsiders. _We don't own "Believe Me" by Fort Minor either.**

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_I guess that this is where we've come to,  
If you don't want to,  
Then you don't have to believe me._

"Whitey at 17th and Prospect."

Tim grinned down at her. He was in the best mood he had been in days. "Good goin', kid."

Ellie glared at him. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to take care of it," he said simply.

"By beating Curly to a pulp again?" she accused.

"I do what I have to do, you know that," he replied.

"He looks up to you," she offered.

"Well, he's not going to be looking at anybody for a few weeks after I catch him red-handed, scoring drugs off a rival gang, especially one run by Will fuckin' Bridges," he said. "On my turf."

Ellie crossed her arms angrily and leaned back in the passenger seat of Tim's Bel Air. They were sitting outside of Jay's, drinking Cokes and eating from a platter of fries. Suddenly, she wasn't all that hungry.

Tim read her body language immediately and tossed down the fry he was about to eat.

"Christ, El, what the hell do you want from me?" he demanded.

She opened her mouth to answer but he cut her off. It was clearly only a rhetorical question. He didn't give a shit what she wanted.

"You always seem to forget that I'm running a_ gang _here," he snapped. "A business, for chrissakes."

"A business? You're eighteen and a high school dropout. What do you know about running a business? A gang isn't a business. It's what you do 'cause you don't know how to do anything else but start trouble," she blasted.

"Yeah? That's better than the only thing you know how to do which is lie on your back," he returned, coldly.

All she could do was stare at him. He'd never said anything like that to her before.

"It's my kind of business and you don't need to worry yourself about it," he told her.

"I just can't believe that means you have to beat up your own brother for something that probably isn't his own fault," she replied, staring out the window and refusing to look at him.

"What d'you mean? Is somebody forcing him to smoke dope? Somebody making him go over to Prospect and score smack off Whitey Thompson?" Tim asked sarcastically.

"I doubt it was Curly's idea," she said, breaking down and looking at him. "You said it yourself, he ain't all that bright sometimes. I think Rick started all of this."

Tim laughed. Ellie shrank back in surprise. It wasn't a chuckle or a snicker. It was a laugh.

"Rick? As in Rick Bradley?" He grinned as he grabbed a few fries and stuffed them in his mouth. "Compared to Rick, Curly's a fucking genius. You know that's hard for me to admit, but it's the God's honest truth. Rick is a dumb fuck. I don't think he's got the brains to dress himself in the mornings, let alone convince Curly to start smoking grass with him."

"Then maybe you oughta get back to running your _business_," Ellie snapped, grabbing her purse and opening the passenger door. "Because you sure don't know as much as you think you do."

"What're you doing?" he asked. "Get back in the car, Ellie."

"I'll find my own ride home," she replied, slamming the door shut with as much force as possible.

XXX

She was determined to keep Curly and Rick from heading out to buy their dope. She was so angry at Tim that she desperately wanted him to be wrong about Curly.

Ellie was waiting outside of the Bowen Lounge at the corner of Pickett and Sutton, waiting for Curly and Rick to come out. She didn't really want to go in; she knew it had a reputation for generally rough behavior. After Buck's, there probably wasn't much she hadn't seen yet, but at least she knew the people to avoid there.

She was sitting on the brick ledge on the side of the building, swinging her legs back and forth, trying to figure out how she was going to convince the two of them to hang out with her instead of getting caught by Tim later that night. She was so distracted, she nearly missed them come out of Bowen's and had to jog after them to catch up.

"Hey Curly," Ellie said as she fell in step with them. "Hi Rick."

"What're you doing over here?" Rick asked. "Don't you have other friends to bother?"

"Don't you have somewhere else you can run your mouth?" she snapped. She turned to Curly. "What've you guys been doing today?"

"Just shootin' some pool at Bowen's," he replied. "Hustled some drunks out of a few bucks, too."

Ellie had an idea of how he was going to spend the money too.

"I suspect you already knew that part, though," Rick cut in, "since you been out here waiting for us for the better part of an hour. You really don't have any friends, do you?"

"What're you doin' tonight?" she asked Curly, ignoring him.

"Nothin'," he replied too quickly, seeming eager about the fact that she was asking about his social life.

Rick punched Curly hard in the arm.

"Oh, well, I guess I do have some plans tonight," he corrected, rubbing his arm.

"Yeah, we got some plans tonight, so I guess you'll have to find some other guy to keep you busy, sweetheart," Rick said with a mocking grin.

"Don't you got plans with Tim or something?" Curly asked.

Ellie didn't need to feign any disgust at the mention of his name. She was still reeling from the argument earlier.

"No, I don't have plans with Tim. I'm not really talking to him right now."

Curly seemed surprised. Rick seemed suspicious. She studied the ground in front of her as they walked. It wasn't exactly a lie; she wasn't currently speaking to Tim and wasn't planning on it until she absolutely had to.

"You guys think you can get outta your plans tonight? Maybe we can hang out and go to the movies or something?" she asked.

Rick raised his eyebrows skeptically. "How come we're friends all of a sudden?"

Ellie shrugged innocently. "I just thought you guys might wanna hang out and I don't have any plans. Why can't we hang out?"

The three of them kept walking until Rick broke the silence. "Yeah, alright. Wanna go to Charlie's with us?"

"Sure," she agreed. "What time?"

"Is 11 past your bedtime?" he asked.

"I'll be there," she assured him with a glare.

He smirked at her and, at Sutton and Front, they went their separate ways.

XXX

"What the hell are you doing that for?" Curly asked when Ellie was out of earshot. "Ain't we meeting Whitey at midnight?"

"God, you're so dense sometimes, Shepard," Rick scolded. "Don't you know what she's up to?"

"What're you talking about?"

Rick ran a hand through his hair. Curly was his buddy and everything, but sometimes he couldn't stand the kid.

"Do you really think she wants to hang out with us tonight?"

Curly shrugged. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Why _would_ she?" Rick smacked the back of Curly's head. "Open your eyes! She knows something's up and she's trying to mess it up."

"You're nuts," he replied. "How would she know? Why would she care?"

"She's Tim's little spy, that's how she knows!" Rick snapped. "You're too busy daydreaming that she's in love with you to know what she's really doing."

"I ain't daydreamin' about my brother's girl. Not to mention she just said they ain't even talkin' right now."

Rick laughed. "Man, Curly. She's about as good a liar as you are smart."

Curly gave him a sour look. "Then what's the plan for tonight, asshole?"

"Easy. We stand her up. By the time she realizes we ain't showin', she doesn't have time to go tell on us. Hell, she's probably running off to tell Tim where we're supposed to meet her so he can be there too and keep us from going," Rick replied. He didn't know why he had to be the brains of the whole operation, but if Curly was in charge of anything, God help them all.

XXX

"You know," Monty said, leaned back in the passenger seat of Tim's car, "I'm thinkin' about making it official with Carol. What d'you think?"

"I think that'd be a good idea if her name wasn't Cheryl," Tim replied, flicking his cigarette out of the open window and studying the dark street corner of 17th and Prospect from their parking spot a block away. So far, there was no sign of anything.

Monty cocked his head to the side. "Hm. I thought her name was Carol."

"That was a few weeks, buddy."

"Oh right, Carol was that blonde with a boyfriend. I forgot about her," he muttered through a yawn. "No wonder Cheryl was so pissed with me the other night."

"You serious about going steady with her?" Tim asked absentmindedly. He was too focused on catching his little shit of a brother in the act of buying smack off the rival gang to care about Monty's love life.

"Yeah, I guess so," he replied. "I guess if you can do it, I can do it."

Tim chuckled. "It ain't lastin' much longer."

"Huh?" Monty seemed interested in this sudden development and straightened up in his seat. "You finally wise up to the fact that she's just a kid?"

"It was a business deal," he corrected. "Nothin' more, nothin' less. It ran its course. After this, we're finished."

Monty grinned. "It was a _little_ more than business, you gotta admit that."

Tim glared at him. "Business. That's it."

"So what's this? She spies on your brother for her and she's served her purpose? That's a little harsh, ain't it?"

"When did you get so high an' mighty that you could start judging me?" Tim snapped.

Monty ignored him and leaned forward in his seat, looking across the street. "What the fuck? Speak of the devil."

Tim whipped his head around and narrowed his eyes as he saw what had caught Monty's attention.

"That fucking dumb broad," he hissed, starting the car and throwing it in gear.

The tires squealed as he made a u-turn. She looked terrified as his headlights caught her for a moment before the car jumped the curb and stopped in front of her.

She was already making excuses by the time he was getting out of the car.

"I tried to stop them from coming, but they didn't meet me where they said they would and I thought - "

He grabbed her by the upper arms and pushed her around until her back was against the passenger side door. Monty tried to open it but couldn't do it. Tim watched him from the corner of his eye as he climbed out the driver's side door and walked slowly around the car.

Ellie kept her eyes steady on the space in between her and Tim and refused to look him in the eye.

"Why the fuck are you here?" Tim demanded. She started to answer, but he cut her off. "No, I don't want these stupid, bullshit excuses you keep givin' me. Why are you here?"

"Hey, man," Monty broke in, "why don't you relax?"

"Shut up," he spat. "I want an answer, Ellie."

"Tim, it's almost midnight," Monty said. He put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back from Ellie. "Deal with this later."

Tim looked from him to Ellie and finally let go of her. "Get in the car."

She didn't say a word as Monty pulled the seat forward for her to climb in. He gave Tim an impatient glare over the roof of the car, but he ignored it.

Tim pulled the car around the block and pulled through the dark alley they had been sitting in before Ellie showed up. It was dark enough to provide cover for them but still gave a good view of Whitey's selling spot. There was still nothing happening. He figured there wouldn't be for a while now, considering how irresponsible Rick and Curly were and that Whitey wasn't the most punctual drug dealer in town. He and Monty had been watching him for a while since suspecting Curly was up to something, and he had never been the first one to show up for a deal.

He turned off the car and slammed a fist down on the steering wheel.

"You could have fucking blown this, you know that?" he asked, turning around in his seat to get a better view of Ellie. She looked small and scared in the backseat all by herself, and it pissed him off even more that she thought it was okay for her to come traipsing around this neighborhood in the middle of the night.

She had her hands folded on her lap and still wouldn't look at him. "I was just trying to keep Curly from getting in trouble."

"Maybe you oughta start thinking about keeping yourself outta trouble than worry about Curly," he snapped. "I just wanna know why the fuck you thought it would be a good idea to come here tonight."

Monty cleared his throat. "Maybe 'cause you asked her to stick her nose where it didn't belong in the first place."

Tim turned his glare from Ellie to Monty. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I'm just sayin' that she wouldn't be involved in anything if you didn't tell her to keep an eye on your brother."

Tim swiped a hand across his face, rubbing at his eyes. He couldn't believe that after all this time of Monty giving Ellie a hard time, he was actually going to stand up for her. Now of all times.

"Are you shitting me, Monty? This is _my _fault now?"

Monty shrugged, staring out the window, watching for any activity on the street. "Well, it ain't exactly the kid's fault. She was doin' what you asked her to do."

"I can't fucking believe you're gonna take her side. I never asked her to come down here," he growled.

"And if she hadn't done anything, you'd probably be spittin' fire about that, too," he replied. He sat forward in his seat and pointed in the direction of Whitey's corner. "I think we're in business."

Tim looked up to see Curly and Rick pacing at the corner. They seemed anxious, and Tim couldn't wait to rip them apart for what they were doing. He made a move to get out of the car, but Monty stopped him.

"Ain't I going with you?" he asked.

"No," he snapped. "You're so worried about Ellie, you can babysit her while I take care of this."

"Tim," he hissed before the door shut. "I thought we were in this together."

He leaned in the open window. "So did I. Watch her and make sure she doesn't doing anything else stupid."

Tim walked around the corner of the building that was partially hiding the car from sight. He glanced back to see if Monty was going to listen to him. He seemed to be staying put for the time being. At least he took orders well enough. That was more than he could say for most of the people he dealt with.

He made his way slowly and quietly, ducking into the doorways of abandoned or closed storefronts to keep from being detected. At least Whitey Thompson was smart enough to know to keep his drug running business on the deserted part of town, even if it was bordering his own territory. That was something of a surprise to Tim.

He was about as close as he was going to get undetected when he finally spotted Whitey sauntering up to the corner. He looked as strung out as he ever was, jittering in place when he finally reached his buyers. Tim waited until he saw the drugs and money switch hands. He had all the proof he needed to bust Rick and Curly and deal with Will and his gang.

"Hey, fellas," Tim called as he approached them. He took pleasure from startling the three of them.

"What's this about?" Whitey demanded. "You said two of you, not three. I ain't in the business of dealin' with surprises."

"No, you're just in the business of dealin' on my turf," he responded. "And you two are in the business of fucking over my gang, ain't that right?"

"No, Tim," Curly yelped, holding out the drugs. "We knew he was here, selling shit on your territory and we wanted to prove it. Ain't that right, Rick?"

"Yeah, that's what we were doin'," Rick added, giving Whitey a shove toward Tim.

"Get your fuckin' hands offa me, you traitor sonuvabitch," Whitey snapped, shoving him back. He turned his attention to Tim. "They came here for a clean buy offa me and I don't appreciate bein' lied to. As for territory, you talk to Bridges about that, not me. I don't draw the lines."

"No, you just snort 'em, is that it?" Tim asked, giving Whitey a shove. He looked over at Curly and Rick. "As for you two fucks, I'll deal with you later. Get outta here."

Curly gave him a horrified look. "Tim," he warned.

Tim looked back and all he saw was a gun pointed in his face.

_I used to have a little bit of a plan,  
__Used to have a concept of where I stand  
__But that concept slipped right out of my hands._

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**A/N: Yikes! What's going to happen to Tim?!**


	15. Still Alive

**Disclaimer: The world belongs to SE Hinton. "Life of My Own" belongs to 3 Doors Down.**

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Living risky, never scared,

_Wander closer to the edge._

The gun wasn't cocked but the barrel in his face was enough to know Whitey Thompson meant business.

"Easy, asshole," Tim said, holding his hands up in peace offering.

"Don't fucking shove me around, Shepard," he warned, the gunning shaking in his hand.

Tim could tell Whitey wasn't actually seeing him. His eyes were glazed over and he was looking past Tim, but his aim was dead on. He was wigging out from whatever dope he was on, but Tim wasn't sure how fast his reaction time would be. He knew enough to know Whitey was one crazy druggie, but he didn't know much else.

"Hey, you cracked out son of a bitch!"

Tim watched Whitey swing the gun away from Tim and in the direction of his car and Monty's voice. He was struggling to cock the gun but when he finally did, that was the only sound Tim could hear. He grabbed for the gun as Whitey's index finger made its way to the trigger. They struggled briefly and Tim was surprised by the amount of fight he had in him. When the gun fired, he froze in place, unsure of what had exactly happened. He heard the pounding of feet as Monty made his way closer to the fray.

"Fuck, Tim, are you okay?" Curly was asking. He was trying to pry the two of them apart, but Monty was there and shoving Curly out of the way.

"Get in Tim's car and fucking wait for us, Curly," he ordered.

Curly and Rick beat feet across Prospect without any hesitation.

"Tim, let go of him," Monty said, grabbing onto Whitey. Tim listened, still reeling from what had just happened. He let go of Whitey's shoulder which he had grabbed in the confusion of the fight. Whitey fell back into Monty and the only thing Tim had a hold of was the gun. "You son of a bitch," Monty said with a nervous laugh. "I thought you fucking got shot, you asshole."

Tim took a deep breath. "I'm fine." He tugged at his shirt and wiped at the gun, cleaning it off. Monty had eased Whitey to the pavement and Tim tossed the gun next to him. He was still alive and he would probably be okay if he got help. Tim wasn't really interested in providing it, though. It was a detached feeling, staring down at somebody who had just tried to kill him. And probably would have if Tim hadn't reacted.

"Some of the Tigers are gonna be about. They'll probably call the cops for the kid," Monty said. "C'mon, let's get outta here."

Tim nodded and followed Monty back to the car. He concentrated on his breathing, keeping it slow and even. He was proud of the fact that he could control himself so well. Not even so much as a twitch of nerves showed in his hands as he shielded the match from the wind to light his cigarette. He noted the rain that began falling in the moment he helped Whitey to shoot himself. Looked as though they were in for quite a night with a summer storm kicking up.

He saw Ellie sitting in the back of his car, between Rick and Curly. The two boys looked like they were kids that had just gotten caught sneaking into the cookie jar before dinner. She, on the other hand, looked pale and scared. She was watching Whitey in horror as he groaned and struggled to breathe.

As he sank into the car, letting Monty take the driver's seat, he turned in his seat to look back at Ellie. She was sickly white, looking like she had forgotten how to breathe. "Don't you fucking say one word right now."

She didn't argue.

They were onto 17th, a few blocks away from Prospect, and Tim was wondering when any of Bridges' gang was going to make their rounds and find Whitey there. He considered the fact that Whitey could be dead by the time someone got there, but either way, Tim knew it was an eye for an eye situation. Will would be aiming to settle the score. Monty glanced over at him.

"Just take it easy," Tim told him calmly. "We get pulled over for speeding and they'll haul us in without any questions for being out this late."

He watched the rain pick up and pound down in sheets across the road. It'd been a while since they'd had a good rain, and steam was beginning to rise from the hot pavement in front of them.

Everyone sat in silence until they pulled up to the abandoned warehouse at Trenton and Rockford where Tim's gang typically met in emergencies. If this wasn't an emergency, he didn't know what was.

Monty pulled around the back of the building, but Tim stopped him before he could turn the car off.

"Take her home," he said, opening his door. "First, stop at the corner and call Todd. Have him round up as many boys as he can. We need to talk."

Curly and Rick climbed out of the backseat slowly, looking for all the world like dead men walking. Ellie stood beside the car, looking like she was going to be sick.

"Sure, Tim," Monty said slowly. "Need anything else?"

"Just for all the boys to be here so we can figure out what we do next. Oh, and don't fuck up my car," he added before he turned and followed the two younger boys toward the warehouse.

"Tim!" Ellie called after him. He sighed. Things would be running so much more smoothly and efficiently if she had never fucking shown up.

She looked like a lost kid standing there beside his car in the pouring rain, and he wondered why they ever got mixed up together.

"What's gonna happen?" she asked, close to tears.

"Monty's gonna take you home, and you're gonna stay put, that's what's gonna happen," he told her in no uncertain terms.

"But ..."

"Get in the car, Ellie," he said, opening the door for her and all but shoving her inside. "Get back here as soon as you can, Monty."

He couldn't tell if she had started crying or not as he slammed the door shut in her face.

XXX

He hung up the pay phone. Todd was a good kid. He didn't ask any questions, just agreed to start rounding up the boys. He knew where most were already and he promised to find the others and make it to the warehouse in no time flat. Monty leaned against the phone booth, trying to figure out where it all went wrong and why he was responsible for picking up the pieces.

Here he was, the gang waiting for the cops to come around and give them shit for some dead, or at the very least dying, drug dealer, and he had to play chauffeur to Tim's weepy girlfriend. He really couldn't blame the kid; this was some serious shit that went down. He still didn't like that he had to clean it up, though. Tim might lead, but Monty always walked behind to make sure nothing was left behind.

"You holdin' up okay, kid?" he asked as he climbed back into Tim's car and started the engine.

She didn't respond. Just kept looking out the window like she had been doing the whole damn time he was on the phone.

Occasionally she would swipe at a few stray tears, but other than that, nothing.

It wasn't until they pulled onto her street that she began to show some signs of life. It wasn't until they were parked in front of her house that she finally said something.

"What's going to happen now?" she asked.

"You're gonna listen to Tim and go in your house and stay there," Monty replied.

She shook her head, obviously irritated. He wasn't sure if it was about him or the situation.

"That's not what I mean," she snapped. "What's going to happen to Tim? To that guy back there? What's gonna happen?"

Monty leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his wet hair. That's what he'd like to know too.

"Well," he said, "Tim's just gonna brief the boys on what went down tonight. Then we lay low. It ain't like the cops are gonna be bending over backwards to nail somebody if Whitey dies. They're probably just hopin' they get a dealer off the street."

"What about the Tigers?" she asked, her voice wavering as she brushed away more tears.

"That's what the meeting's for with the boys," he said. "We gotta be ready 'cause Bridges is gonna be gunnin' for us. He wanted something like this to happen so he could have an excuse to go to war with us. We'll take care of that when it comes though. It's like it says in the Bible 'tween the gangs: An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Shit like that. They'll need to settle the score, and I think Tim's lookin' forward to gettin' them offa our turf now."

Ellie finally met his gaze for the first time all evening. "Be careful, Monty. This stuff is so out of hand."

He grinned to ease her nerves, but he could tell it wasn't working. "No need to worry 'bout me, kiddo, I'll be fine."

"Make sure Tim is, too," she added.

"I'll pass the message along. Go on, I gotta get back. And stay put. You don't need to be in the middle of this no more. Shouldn't have been in the first place."

She nodded and opened the door. "Bye, Monty."

"See ya, Ellie." He stayed long enough to see her make it to the front door before he peeled out in Tim's car.

Will's boys sure as hell were gonna be gunning for all of them. It was just a matter of when and where they were going to be waiting for them.

_Looking forward, not behind,  
Everybody's gotta cross that line._

_

* * *

_**A/N: Dun dun dunnnnnn.**


	16. Sheep Without a Shepard

_There are so many contradictions  
__In all these messages we send._

It sure was a bitch driving Tim's car. The Bel Air rode a hell of a lot nicer than Monty's old Chevy, but there may as well have been a big, old target on his back for all it was worth. Even without Whitey and the shooting, cops were all over Tim's car since, typically, trouble wasn't far behind. It really took the fun out of cruising down the Ribbon to get back to Trenton and Rockford. There wasn't much he was missing, though; it was late and the storm was keeping people in for the night, both off the Ribbon and off the highways.

He was just past the highway when he noticed the car behind him. He sped up, but it didn't do much to get the car off his tail. With the rain, he couldn't tell if it was a cop car or just some crazy drunk. He slowed down, knowing Tim would be none too happy if he got hauled in and the car was impounded.

The car behind him laid on the horn and swerved wildly behind Monty. He swore under his breath, speeding up again. It didn't stop the car from swerving and flashing its lights. Monty glanced in the rear view mirror as the car swerved out into the lane next to him, tapping his bumper in the process.

Monty struggled to regain control, fishtailing on the slick road. He cursed himself for not knowing what he should have known from the start.

"We gotta be ready 'cause Bridges is gonna be gunnin' for us," he had told Ellie. Of course they would. And they weren't wasting any time.

By the time he had steadied the car, he was sideswiped again. This time, the cars collided with more force. Monty tugged on the wheel, trying to straighten up and keep from driving into a ditch. He over-corrected, sending him straight into the path of the Tiger's car. It struck the back door on Monty's side of the car, sending him into a wild spin. The car slammed into a tree and came to a violent halt.

The beam from a set of headlights filled the car, blinding him. He raised his head slowly from the steering wheel. Everything around him was wavering and blurry, getting fuzzier the longer he looked at it. He could feel the blood that covered the side of his head, but all he could think about was how Tim was going to kill him for landing his car in a ditch. If he even lasted that long.

He focused on the figure that had climbed out of the car facing him. It was exhausting trying to focus on the face and everything was getting dimmer by the second. He finally recognized the face that smiled down the small hill at him. He closed his eyes when Will Bridges turned around, climbed back into his car, and sped away.

A smirk barely made its way across Monty's face before everything fell into darkness.

An eye for an eye.

_And one more starry-eyed messiah  
__Meets a violent farewell,  
__Learn to be still._


	17. You Can't Win

_**Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders, SE Hinton does. We also do not own the song "Straitjacket Feeling" by The All-American Rejects. We also do not own the Eagles' song "Learn to be Still" which was used in the last chapter.**_

* * *

_Back me up from backing down,  
__Hold your breath now, it's stacking up._

Tim stood back like he was supposed to. It was completely unlike him to just stand back and actually listen to a cop, but he could see enough from where he was.

Through the flashing lights of the ambulance and the police cars, he watched half a dozen guys in uniforms moving around, taking pictures and not acting like they were in any rush to get anything accomplished. That's because there wasn't anything left to accomplish. The back of the ambulance sat empty because Monty was dead behind the wheel of Tim's car.

From where he was standing all he could see was the car and the tree. He didn't need to see anything else, but he waited until they pulled his body out of the car and covered it with the white sheet.

XXX

Darry always flipped back to the crime section because there was always a write up about someone they knew, and this time Dally's name was sure to be there after the tirade he got himself into last night. Mrs. Curtis wouldn't have approved, but she would have clipped the write up and given it to him the next time she saw him. It was his name in the paper and he wasn't ever going to receive any other merits, so he may as well be proud of what he got.

Darry stopped before he could flip back that far, though. There was a short blurb on the front page about a hit and run that had resulted in a fatality over night. The car was described as a '55 Bel Air and the names of the victims weren't being released just yet. He was sure that plenty of people drove '55 Bel Airs, but on their side of town he could only think of one - Tim Shepard.

"Shit," he muttered, an even sicker feeling creeping up. He grabbed the paper again and scanned the blurb again_. Victims_.

He tossed the paper down again and picked up the phone and called Ellie's house. The phone kept ringing and ringing, but he waited.

"Come on, El," he pleaded into the phone. "Pick it up."

"What's up?"

Soda walked out of the bathroom and plopped down on the couch, with Pony following seconds later.

"Pone, go over to Ellie's house and see if she's home," Darry told him, the phone still ringing in his ear.

"Why? Everything okay?" he asked, pulling on a shoe.

"I don't know," Darry replied, reaching for the paper again. He was telling them about the write up when Two-Bit ran in.

"Is she over here?" he asked, looking around.

"No," Darry replied, hanging up the phone. "She ain't answering the phone either."

"What's going on?" Soda demanded. Darry tossed the paper at him. He and Pony skimmed the paper together.

"I heard from Kathy who heard it from ... shit, it don't matter. All I know is somebody's dead and it was Tim's car," Two-Bit said, nearly out of breath. "I just came from her house and nobody was answerin' the door."

"Did you knock on her window?" Pony asked, standing now.

"The door, the window. I stopped short of letting myself in," he explained. "Checked her window, but the damn thing was locked."

"We oughta do something," Pony insisted.

"I've been all over town this mornin'," Two-Bit said. "Besides what the paper says, nobody really knows nothin'. No one knows if it was just Shepard or what."

"So what're we gonna do, just wait 'til her name is plastered everywhere before we do anything?" Soda asked.

"We're gonna calm down and we're gonna wait until we hear more about this," Darry said. "We're jumpin' to conclusions for no reason."

Pony was pacing, and Darry felt like joining him.

XXX

Dally was sleeping but very lightly. His head was pounding too hard for him to get much rest at all. It was fucking ridiculous trying to get a good night's sleep in the drunk tank. Luckily for him they were going to be moving him before long.

"Hey, Winston."

There was a kid from Brumly's outfit who was just led into the cell across from him, and Dally was doing everything he could to pretend like couldn't hear him.

"Wake up. I got news," he called. He was trying to keep his voice hushed but failing miserably.

Without moving, Dally replied, "When it makes the fucking papers, maybe I'll give a shit."

"There ain't a way it didn't make the papers," the kid called back. "Shepard's dead."

That caught his attention and he sat up and stared the kid down, trying to size up how much bullshit this kid was slinging.

"How the fuck do you know that?" Dally asked.

"Tigers were aiming to settle some score last night after Shepard shot one of Will's dealers. They came after him and he crashed his car into a fucking tree," the kid said.

"Fuck," Dally cursed, running a hand through his hair. "Tim?"

"So the story goes."

It wouldn't have bothered him so much, it was just fucking Shepard, but he suddenly started thinking about Ellie.

"Was it just him?" Dally asked. "Anyone else in the car?"

The kid shrugged and leaned into the bars of his cell.

"I didn't hear about no one else," he said. "Guess it was just Shepard."

Dally considered that. If Ellie had been in the car he would have known by now. He'd known it when she got jumped, he couldn't imagine someone hiding it from him that she was dead.

"Hey!" Dally yelled, calling down the cell block.

One of the cops stuck his head out and glared at him, shouting back, "What?"

"I want my phone call," he said.

XXX

Ellie was surprised to still see Darry's truck parked out front of the Curtis house when he should have been at work. She hurried inside hoping nothing bad had happened to keep him home. Lord knew she had a bad enough night, she didn't need more on top of it. She dashed inside and was surprised to see almost everyone inside. They all jumped up from their various seats around the room when she walked in.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, looking around. No one looked hurt.

Two-Bit grabbed her by the arm before she could get further into the room. "Christ, we were wondering that about you, kid," he said, looking her top to bottom. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, confused by the amount of concern he was showing.

"Why the hell weren't you answering your door earlier?" he demanded.

"Or your phone?" Darry cut in.

She looked between the two of them. "I was in the shower, I didn't hear any of that. Mom and Jimmy are out, too." She pointed to her damp hair.

Two-Bit studied her for a moment before he laughed nervously. "All this fuss just because you were in the shower?" He looked back at Darry. "Typical girl for you."

"What's this all about?" she asked. They all seemed to know something she didn't. Or they knew something she didn't want them to know, like how she had spent the evening before.

A knot tied in the pit of her stomach and she wondered how they had found out about that. She was about to explain why she was walking along Prospect at midnight by herself, but she surveyed the room. The only ones who knew weren't exactly the type that hung around her friends. She figured Rick and Curly were drinking out of a straw at this point, and it wasn't like Tim or Monty were going to share what happened. Though, she figured word would spread about Whitey getting shot, but it didn't mean the guys should know she was there.

"You weren't in the car?" Soda asked.

She looked at him, confused, and asked, "What car?" No one answered and she looked at each of the four of them. "What's going on?"

The phone rang and Darry picked it up instead of answering her. She listened to the one sided conversation.

"Hello ... Dal? ... No, no. She's fine. She just came in ... Okay. Yeah, I'll make sure ... 'K, bye," Darry hung up the phone and looked at them.

"Dally?" Pony asked. "Where's he?"

Darry pointed to the paper on the coffee table. "It's in the crime beat. He got picked up for drunk and disorderly last night, vandalizing stuff."

"What's going on?" Ellie cried, knowing something was wrong. Everyone knew something she didn't. Dally was calling to check up on her from jail and if that wasn't cause for panic, she didn't know what was. "If it ain't about Whitey Thompson, then what is it?"

"Who's Whitey Thompson?" Pony asked, innocently.

She ignored him and looked between Darry and Two-Bit, and demanded, "What did Dally say?"

"Look, El," Two-Bit started, but Darry finished for him.

"There's a write up this morning about a car crash. A Bel Air hit a tree just passed the Ribbon pretty late last night. It said there were victims, and we didn't know if you were in it with Tim or not ..."

"What?" she gasped.

Darry handed her the paper and she read the blurb and tossed it back frustrated. There wasn't enough information. There weren't any names, but she knew Darry was wrong.

"Tim wasn't driving," she said, dazed. "Monty dropped me off in Tim's car. Last night after ... after everything."

"Why wasn't Tim driving his car?" Two-Bit asked.

"Tim wasn't in the car," she said, desperately. She grabbed the paper again and read to herself_, "Approximately __2:00 am ..."_

"Monty dropped me off at home last night 'cause Tim had to handle something. Oh my God, it was Monty," she gasped.

She sat down and Ponyboy sat close beside her.

"But it said there were victims. Plural," Darry pointed out, quietly.

She shook her head. "It's wrong, it has to be. He was on his way back after he dropped me off. He was the only one in the car."

She leaned her head back in shock. This couldn't be happening.

XXX

"Is he here?"

Todd seemed a little hesitant to answer him. Tim grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the wall.

"Listen, Todd," he growled, "you ain't the one I'm aimin' to fuck up, but you'll do."

Todd shook his head slowly. "Yeah, he's here. He's upstairs."

Tim let go of his collar and clapped him on the side of the head. "Atta boy, Todd."

He walked up the southwest stairwell to the second floor of the warehouse. The insides were gutted for the most part, with some forgotten rubble piled up in the corners, and all of the windows busted out. It was a nice, open space with a cool breeze floating in on the last day of July. It was getting late in the evening and the sun would be setting soon. All in all, it was the perfect setting for one hell of a fight.

Rick Bradley was leaned against one of the beams in the center of the open room, smoking a cigarette nervously. He ground it out on the floor when he spotted Tim.

"Listen, man," he began, walking toward him, "I know what you're thinkin' and - "

"You don't have a clue what I'm thinking, Bradley," Tim replied. He took Rick by the shoulders. "Just calm down, kid. Okay?"

He seemed relieved at Tim's reaction. Rick sighed and gave him a grin. "Man, Tim, I was sure once you heard about Monty, you'd be blaming me for all of it."

Tim grinned back. "That's what you thought?"

Rick was nodding when Tim punched him in the gut. While he was bent over coughing and gasping for breath, Tim leaned down to look him in the eye.

"That's the only thing you've ever been right about, you stupid fuck."

"Tim," he pleaded, "how was I supposed to know this was gonna happen? If you hadn't shown up last night, Whitey never woulda gotten shot and Monty'd still be here."

Tim stood up straight and gave Rick a crazy smile. "You must have a fucking death wish, you little piece of shit." He swung a left hook right into the kid's jaw.

He stumbled sideways, shaking his head, trying to get his bearings and put some space between the two of them. Tim followed him calmly, pulling a pair of brass knuckles from his back pocket. They were practically brand new; he only used them during rumbles and never against his own guys. But Rick wasn't his guy anymore. He was on his own.

Rick was still trying to shake sense back into himself when Tim caught up to him again. He didn't stand a chance against Tim's rage. He could feel Todd watching him from the corner of the room, knowing he was making a mental list never to fuck Shepard over.

Tim didn't stop beating Rick until his arms were growing tired. Rick was on his knees the second Tim stopped, spitting blood and saliva on the concrete floor. He was sobbing and blubbering, insisting he was sorry things went down the way they did. Tim kicked him to his side, holding him to the floor with the heel of his boot on his neck.

"You're fucking right you're sorry," Tim agreed, giving him a sharp kick in the ribs like the stray fucking dog he was. "And you're gonna be sorry if you so much as think about setting foot on my territory ever again."

Rick was dragging himself into a sitting position against one of the support beams in the room. "Tim, you can't kick me outta the gang. I ain't gonna fuck up no – "

"You're goddamn right you won't fuck up anymore, 'cause if you do, you ain't gonna have a gang to have your back,' he told him. "You're outta this gang and you're on your fucking own. And as soon as I take care of the Tigers, I'm comin' after you. Got that?"

Tim didn't wait for a response before he turned around and headed for the stairwell. He hadn't gotten far before Rick was shooting his mouth off again.

"It wasn't just me, you know," he was mumbling, looking about half-conscious and half-dead. "Curly was right there with me every fucking time. Maybe you outta take care of him first."

Tim didn't hesitate to pick up the first thing he could lay his hands on. Rick should've been on his knees, thanking God it was a piece of wood and not a steel rod he was wielding.

He didn't even see the wood block swinging toward his head until there was a sickening crack. He tossed the block down on top on Rick and turned to Todd. Tim hid his surprise well when he saw Curly standing behind Todd, holding onto the wall to steady himself.

Tim ignored him and pointed down at Rick. "Get him the fuck outta here."

Todd nodded and Curly slid down the wall until he was sitting. He kept his eyes on the floor as Tim approached him.

He took a sick amount of pleasure from the fact that his brother flinched so hard when he cupped his hand around his neck to make him meet his gaze.

"Don't forget this," he warned. "You ever fuck up the way he did, and you're no brother of mine. Todd'll be cleaning you off the floor same as Rick."

Curly was shaking under Tim's grip, close to tears. Tim let go of his neck and patted the side of his head.

"Good boy," he said. He was in the stairwell before he heard Curly sob.

_And you're the problem, and you can't feel  
__Try this on, straitjacket feeling._

* * *

_A/N: Omgzz! Scary!Tim!_

PS: This site sucks.


	18. So Sick of it All

**Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns "The Outsiders" and Finger Eleven owns "Sick of It All."**

**A/N: The following chapter contains strong language and adult situations. Please use discretion if you feel you would be offended by either.**

_

* * *

_

_Are the sins getting staler?  
Does every moment move past you?  
Or does it feel like forever?_

"He's bad off," Evie said.

She was turned around in the front seat and looking at Ellie with piercing eyes.

"So what if he did something stupid? He's not the brightest, but it didn't mean that he had to beat him up the way he did," she pouted. "He's my brother."

Ellie played with the cuticle on her nail, her stomach churning. She didn't realize Tim had beaten Rick so badly until Evie had spilled all the gruesome details.

"You should see him!" Evie cried. "His eyes are swollen shut, he can't move without lookin' like he's gonna cry. Docs don't know if his head's gonna be okay."

"Was it okay in the first place?" Steve piped up.

Ellie knew he wasn't trying to be smart, but it came off like that anyway. Evie's jaw dropped. Ellie wondered if she was about to claw Steve's eyes out.

"Are you taking Tim's side?" she spat. "'Cause if you are, you'd better believe -"

He interrupted her. "I ain't takin' no one's side, but Monty got killed 'cause of what Rick and Curly were doin'. At least, that's the word goin' around town, and I sure believe it. That ain't so much a reason for Tim to beat Rick half to death, but even you gotta admit that he deserved enough for fucking up, baby. It's the price you pay for bein' in a gang like that."

"Steve," Ellie warned him.

Evie was quiet for several seconds, but she finally looked at Steve. "Look, Stevie, he's my baby brother and I know he deserved some of what he got, but it don't mean that I got to thank Tim for taking it so far."

He set his arm across the seat and gave her hair a gentle tug. She gave him a little smile and pulled his hand down out of Ellie's view.

"Hey, El," Steve said. "What exactly are you plannin' on doing?"

"I don't know. I guess just see if he's okay," she answered.

"Don't you think he's got enough people makin' sure he's okay?" Evie asked.

"I guess, but I still oughta," she said.

"I think he's about as dangerous as Dal when he gets in a mood, Ella. Don't push it," Steve warned her.

He kept looking at her through the rearview mirror and Evie was turned around in her seat again.

"I'll be careful," she insisted. "He ain't gonna hurt me."

"He'd better not," Steve said.

Evie gave her a sympathetic look and then turned around and leaned closer to Steve. At one time, Ellie thought Evie was impressed she was dating Tim. She didn't like it when people looked at her like that. It reminded her of how people treated her after Dally cheated on her. This wasn't exactly that situation, but she still felt like everyone was pitying her because she was his girl. Ellie stared in to space until they got there, thinking of what she was going to say.

XXX

Standing in the doorway, Ellie spotted Tim standing at the end of the bar looking as miserable as she had ever seen him. She wanted to make sure he was okay, but something was holding her back. He'd just lost his best friend and she had no idea what to say to him because of how he was. She doubted he wanted to hear about how sorry she felt that Monty was dead.

She started toward the bar slowly, but Steve grabbed her arm and pulled her back where he was standing with Evie.

"He ain't gonna me in the mood, El. Don't press it, 'k?" he told her. He looked over at Tim and back at her.

"It's fine, Steve," she assured him. "I can handle him. Thanks for bringing me."

"Just don't go nowhere," he insisted.

"I won't," she replied.

There wasn't much else he could say, so he moved out of her way and led Evie away to find an empty table somewhere. She almost wished he would have stuck around and at least walked up to the bar with her, but she knew he'd be watching. He wouldn't help her say the right things anyway.

As she made her way to Tim, Todd stopped her and looked serious.

"I wouldn't bother him right now," Todd warned her. "I ain't seen him drink like this."

She looked passed him and saw Curly shake his head, agreeing with Todd. He looked like he was still in one piece after everything. She couldn't believe how much Tim had lost it on Rick and yet Curly was still standing.

"How much has he had?" she asked.

"A lot," Curly piped up. "He's in a bad mood."

Well, she certainly didn't expect him to be in a good mood. How could he be? She crossed her arms and tried to decide if she was going to go over to him. He looked so alone sitting there that she couldn't stand the thought of being there and not checking to see if he was okay.

"It ain't a good time," Todd told her. "He just needs to go sleep it off somewhere."

Tim sat slouched over on the bar stool. He was nursing a bottle of beer with a couple of empties sitting in front of him. There were plenty of shot glasses cluttered around, too. She was fully aware how all of the present members of the Shepard gang were watching them. She could feel Steve watching, too.

"Hey," Todd said, more forcefully. "It's _not_ a good time right now. Come back and play house later."

"Someone should do something," she snapped. "You can't let him drink himself into a coma."

"Look, El," Curly said, quietly. "No one wants to be on his bad side right now, so no one's gonna tell him shit. You shoulda seen Rick."

"You're still standing," she pointed out.

Curly looked to the floor, embarrassed.

"I'm just going to make sure he's okay," she said.

"He's here, ain't he?" Todd snapped.

"Nobody else here seems too concerned about him," she said.

He shrugged and moved aside. "Don't say I didn't warn ya."

She tried to swallow her nervousness and moved to the end of the bar to talk to him.

"Hey," she greeted, timidly. He didn't react. She thought that maybe he didn't hear her so she touched his arm and he looked over at her.

"What?" he asked, coarsely.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fucking great," he snapped, his words were slurring together.

"Tim ... I'm so sorry," she managed to get out. She was looking at his busted knuckles and trying not to think about what he did to Rick. They didn't look nearly as bad as Rick sounded, and she wondered vaguely why that was.

"Save it," he told her. He stood up, wobbling on unsteady feet. She reached out to steady him, and he batted her away. "I don't wanna hear it."

She stood back, unsure of what to do, but determined to at least make sure he didn't manage to kill himself that night. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out a set of car keys and leaned over the bar and grabbed a half-empty fifth of whiskey.

"What are you doin'?" she asked.

"Mind your business," he told her, pushing by her.

He stopped to say something to Curly, and then started stumbling toward the door. He was going to try and drive as drunk as he was, and she wasn't exactly too keen on watching someone else wrap their car around a tree, so she took off after him, only stopping long enough to give Steve what she hoped was a reassuring look, but she'd lost him in the crowd.

XXX

"Jesus Christ, Ellie. Go away," he demanded, stumbling through the lot.

She wasn't about to, though. She followed him through the parking lot and around the back of the roadhouse, and then she stopped suddenly. Monty's Chevy was parked in the dark, the only car back there.

"Don't," she called, running toward the car and slipping in before he could even get the keys into the ignition. "Just stay here."

"Fuck off," he suggested, jamming the keys into the ignition with some difficulty and starting it up.

He didn't really seem to mind that she was there since he made no motion to get her out of the car, but he seemed to have every intention to drive out of there. As he reached for the gear shift, she leaned over and tried to turn the car off.

"Goddamn it, Ellie," he yelled, pushing her away roughly. Before she could do anything, he managed to put the car in drive and started toward the road.

"You just need to go to bed," she told him, trying to stay calm. "Just park over here and we'll go inside and get a room."

"I'm goin' home," he snapped.

He turned out onto the road without even looking, and took off toward home using the backroads. They were going faster than she had ever seen him drive, and she was scared out of her mind.

"Tim, pull over 'fore you get us killed, too," she demanded.

"Shut up," he commanded. "Quit fucking talking."

He was completely out of his mind, and drunker than Jimmy on his worst nights. She reached around and put on her seatbelt and held on for dear life.

Driving with one hand, and swerving all over the road, Tim opened the bottle of whiskey and took a swig. There were headlights coming toward them as Tim straddled the car over the center lines. He was tempting fate with her riding shotgun.

"Tim!" she shrieked, closing her eyes. She felt the car swerve violently and heard the angry sound of blaring car horns. It took her a minute to realize that they were still alive.

"Pull over!" she screamed at him.

He kept going, though, driving like a lunatic for several more miles until he made a sharp turn and stopped the car on the side of the road. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears it hurt her head, and she found herself trying to catch her breath.

"What's wrong with you?" she yelled, unclipping the seat belt. She rolled down the window, trying to drink in the fresh air.

"Are you fucking stupid?" he asked.

"Are you crazy?" she replied. "You just almost got us killed just like ... like-" She couldn't say it.

"Just like Monty?" he asked. He was glaring at her and she tried to brush off how mad he was at her and tried to just focus on how lousy he was feeling. He tipped the bottle back, and she watched him guzzle it.

"That's enough," she said. She reached for it, trying to get it out of his hands while he was drinking it. Whiskey spilled out and onto his shirt, as he held on to it and tried to pull it back.

"Give it to me," she demanded, pulling it back toward her. They struggled over it, until he pushed his hand forward and the bottle hit her lip, splitting it. She cried out in surprise and let go, her hands fingers flying to her mouth.

"Serves you right," he said, tipping the bottle back again.

Tasting blood, she pulled her hands away and stared at her reddened fingers. He was acting more like Dally than himself.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fucking great, you know. In case you missed it, Monty wrapped my car -_my car_- around a fucking tree and now he's dead. So you fucking tell me what's wrong with me being the genius that you are," he said.

"Your car?" she asked, quietly, pondering what he meant.

"Jesus Christ, Ellie," he muttered. In a fit of sudden rage he threw the bottle at the windshield, amber liquid spilling all over as the bottle shattered. The sound was ringing in her ears. "Why are you so fucking dense? They weren't looking for him. They were looking for me. It wasn't supposed to be him. Fuck."

Ellie turned away. She knew the accident was probably because of some Tigers pissed about what happened with Whitey, but it never dawned on her that they were looking for Tim and not Monty.

"And you know the funniest part about it all?" Tim asked. He wasn't talking to her anymore; he was just looking straight ahead, mumbling to himself. "Whitey Thompson's gonna be just fine. He lost some blood, but he's going to be just fine. That fucking piece of shit."

She didn't say anything, she just looked out the window at the dark field beside the road. Monty had died for no reason at all.

"Why in the hell are you even here?" he suddenly asked.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," she said.

"_You_ wanted to check on _me_," he said, shaking his head groggily. "You're the last fucking thing I need around here."

They were both silent for a long while until Ellie took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about Monty."

"Go to hell," he suggested. "You don't give a shit about what happened to him."

"I do, too," she said softly.

He didn't reply. He was sitting there holding his head with one hand as though he had a bad headache. She eyed the keys dangling from the ignition and very quietly reached across to take them. They jingled as she clasped her fist around them.

"What the fuck?" he demanded, springing back to life.

She yanked them out of the ignition and tried to get them out the window, but he grabbed her and pulled her back, his fingers digging into her sides. She yelped and struggled against him, but he yanked her backward and she was slipping on the leather seat. She twisted around so she was on her side, trying to use her legs to kick herself closer to the window. Reaching her arm as far as she could, she was still short.

"Give 'em back," he yelled. The anger in his voice made her blood run cold.

He got a grip on her arm, pulling it back toward him.

"Give 'em to me," he repeated, grabbing a handful of her hair.

She cried out in surprise and twisted onto her back to lessen the pulling, managing at the same time to work her arm free and get her hand out the window to drop the keys outside.

"Christ," he slurred, hovering over her. He had a grip on her other arm now, his fingers digging into her flesh.

She struggled to sit up, but he kept her pinned down. He had a crazed look in his eye, and she realized just how scared of him she really was. How scared of him she should have been the whole time she'd known him.

"I'm not about to let you drive again," she explained, trying to make her point clear. "You're not going to kill yourself."

Planting her free hand on his chest, she tried to push him off of her, but he didn't budge. He wasn't saying anything, but his face was so close to hers, she was getting dizzy from the alcohol on his breath.

"Move," she said, pushing him with no effect. "Tim." She was pleading now, struggling against him desperately.

She was trapped beneath him, trying to work herself free, but he was so much bigger than she was. He was breathing heavily, and the harder she pushed, the more agitated he was becoming. The fact that he was saying absolutely nothing had her even more on edge. His eyes were dark and angry.

He dropped his head, his lips hitting hers and he kissed her roughly and without much regard to her split lip. She tried to go with it, but he was being so rough. Turning her head to the side, she tried to sit up again, but he kept her pinned to the seat. He was breathing heavily in her ear, and he shifted slightly, grabbing her right leg and repositioning it. There was the sound of zipper being undone and she realized what he had on his mind as he pushed her skirt up.

"Stop it," she pleaded, trying even more desperately to push him off.

"Just let me," he said, shifting her other leg. He was struggling to breathe. "Let me."

She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down and held one of her arms in his right hand.

"Don't," she begged him, but it was useless. "Not like this."

She couldn't stop him anymore than she could have done something to help Monty, so she turned her head and closed her eyes.

XXX

Steve lit up another cigarette and sped up as he took the back roads back toward Buck's. He swore to God that there was nothing getting through that girl's thick head. He'd told her not to leave with Tim, and in the second he'd looked the other way, she left. He'd already driven home, dropped Evie off and been by Ellie's house. She wasn't anywhere. After looking everywhere else he imagined she might be, he decided to head back toward Buck's taking a different route.

The roads were so dark, but he saw the small figure walking along the side of the road anyway. He pulled to a stop and got out of the car.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been lookin' for you? I got work in the morning and I told you not to-"

He stopped, though, when he realized something just wasn't right.

"El?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

Her hair was a mess, and she had arms crossed around her middle. She didn't say anything, and she wasn't looking at him. He reached out and touched her arm and she flinched at his touch. She looked at him, finally, and he cursed under his breath. She had a split lip and tear streaked make up.

"Christ, what did he do to you?" he asked. He could feel his blood boiling.

She wiped at her eyes and sniffed back sobs. He looked up the road, following where she had been walking from and didn't see anything.

"How long have you been walking? Did he leave without you?" he asked, concerned.

"No, he's still back there," she said, her voice raspy with tears. "Passed out."

He bit his tongue and shook away his clenched fists. It wouldn't do anyone any good for him to fly off the handle right then, so instead he managed to get her into the car so he could get her home. He was a couple of miles down the road before he said anything to her.

"How long have you been walkin'?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"What happened?" he asked.

It took her a long time to answer.

"He was drunk," she said, wiping away stray tears. "I was tryin' to keep him from crashing the car. He was so upset."

"Did he hit you?" Steve asked.

"Dally was right about him. I was stupid to think he wouldn't hurt me."

Steve tightened his grip on the steering wheel. It was obvious he had hurt her, but it was somehow different hearing her say it. He glanced over at her as he drove, noticing something different each time. Her skirt was twisted strangely, her arms already had the traces of bruises beginning to form, her purse was gone.

"Where's your bag?" he asked. It was the least intrusive question he could come up with.

Ellie glanced down in her lap, as though she expected it to be there. "I guess I left it in the car."

"You want to go back for it?"

"No," she answered quickly. "No, I wanna go home."

He nodded, even though she wasn't looking at him. He could guess what happened between the two of them in Monty's car. He tried to keep his mind from going in that direction because if he thought about how badly Tim had hurt Ellie, Monty's wouldn't be the only funeral in Tulsa.

Steve pulled onto Boston Street and stopped in front of Ellie's house. It was late and all of the lights were out in the house. Ellie didn't make a move to get out of the car.

"Are you okay, El?" he asked quietly. She was still looking at her house, but she was nodding. He didn't have to see her face to know she was lying. "Do you want me to do something about it?"

"No," she answered, her voice suddenly thick. She was breathing so heavily and so fast trying to keep it all in.

He scooted across the bench seat of the car, closer to her, and touched her arm to get her to look at him. She didn't flinch as hard as she did earlier, but she still cringed slightly away from him. She wasn't looking at him, but he could tell she was crying.

"Ellie ... " he trailed off, not knowing what he needed to say to her right then. It didn't matter because that seemed to be enough for her.

She sobbed quietly and, not knowing what else to do, he pulled her against his chest. She cried harder and held onto him tightly. He sure couldn't think of anything to say to her, but that seemed to be okay. He didn't like to see her cry, but it was better than her sitting there doing nothing at all.

"Do you want me to take you over to Ponyboy's?" he offered.

"No," she said, taking ragged breaths. "Please don't tell nobody about this, Steve. Please."

"El, Tim can't just do this and get away with it," he said but she pulled away from him.

"Steve, please promise me you won't tell anybody about this," she said quietly, wiping at her face.

He couldn't tell if she was more worried about her reputation or Tim's. He reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, sure. I won't say nothing."

"Thanks for looking for me tonight," she told him. "I know you told me not to go anywhere with him and I didn't listen. I shouldn't have been so stupid. It was my fault for not listening to you."

She was just rambling now.

"It ain't your fault that Tim's an asshole," he said. She didn't respond as she fumbled with the door handle. "If you need anything, come over to my house. You hear me, Ellie?"

She nodded before she shut the door. "Thanks, Steve."

XXX

The shower water was close to scalding her bare skin, but it wasn't doing anything against the chills she had. She hated that Steve had seen her like that and she hoped he wouldn't do anything about it, but he had promised her and she trusted him.

There was a knock and she could hear her mom trying to talk to her through the door. It was late, or early depending on how she read the clock when she came in the house, but the last person she wanted to talk to was Abby.

"I'm fine, Mom," she called over the running water.

"I'm fine," she whispered to herself.

XXX

There was broken glass all over the dashboard. He reached over and picked up a sliver, jarring his head from moving too fast and it felt on the verge of exploding.

"Fuck," he muttered, rubbing his temples.

He waited for the blinding pain to subside and then opened his eyes and looked around. He felt sick remembering why he was in Monty's car and not his own. Looking around, he couldn't figure out why he was where he was and much less why he was almost parked in a ditch.

Grabbing for the keys, he found the ignition switch empty. He patted his pockets and found them empty, too. He searched all over the car, but stopped and stared out the open passenger window. He slid over and opened the door, and something fell out. Ellie's purse sat in the dust.

"Shit," he said to himself, reaching down to pick it up. The car keys were laying underneath it.

He grabbed them, too, and tossed them back on to the seat of the car. Before he could sit up again, he vomited onto the side of the road. He leaned out of the car, spitting and swearing, and held his head. When he was sure he wasn't going to lose his lunch again, he slid back into the driver's seat. He looked over at her purse, trying to think through the haze of his hangover. He didn't remember much, but he remembered enough to figure why she took off without her purse.

He groaned, waiting for another wave of nausea to pass before he started the car and pulled onto the road. Glass slid off of the dashboard and rained down to the seat and the floor. And as he drove toward home with a splitting headache, he realized how badly he'd lost control.

_If you could consume her,  
__Would you say you were finding your way out?_

**

* * *

**

A/N: So Tim's lost control. Is there any going back after this?

Any comments, suggestions or concrit are always welcome.


	19. If I Could Go Back

**Disclaimer: We do not own _The Outsiders_, but S.E. Hinton does. We also do not own the song "Downfall" by matchbox twenty. **

_

* * *

__I wonder what you think of me,  
__If I could go back,  
__Would you have ever been with me?_

Tim stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He stood in front of the fogged over mirror, staring at his mottled reflection. He placed his hand against the mirror and wiped away the condensation that blurred his face.

He studied himself for a moment before he smashed his fist into the mirror, shattering his reflection into thousands of splintered pieces.

XXX

The phone was ringing in his ear. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as he listened to the other end, waiting for someone to pick up. All he needed to find out was whether or not she made it home.

The other end finally picked up.

"Hello?"

He clenched his jaw and didn't reply. It wasn't her.

"Hello?" The woman was getting annoyed with his silence.

"Is Ellie there?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "Who is this?"

Tim hung up the phone, satisfied with the answer. He turned to go back to his room, but Curly was standing in his way. He stared at his kid brother and tried not to be so obvious that he was avoiding looking the kid in the eye. Curly still had bruises from minor beating he took right after the deal with Whitey.

"Shouldn't you know if she got home last night?" he asked. There was quiet accusation in his voice.

"Don't fuck up again," Tim reminded him, moving by him and heading down the hall.

"Who gets to tell you not to fuck up again?" Curly called after him.

Tim spun around and glared at his brother. Curly stood tense at the end of the hall, glaring right back.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Why don't you know if she made it home last night? She left Buck's with you," Curly said.

"She made it home and the rest don't concern you," he dared him as he opened his bedroom door.

"You messed up, didn't you?" Curly asked. "She came to check up on you and you did something stupid."

Tim stopped in the doorway, amazed with how cool he sounded right then. There was no mistaking that it was his own tone Curly was adopting.

"Who are you that you get to beat the fuck outta Rick 'cause he messed up, and then turn around do something worse? Who gets to set you straight?"

Tim slammed the bedroom door behind him to get away from it. If he didn't have a monster of a hangover, he'd deal with it, but there was also the fact that Curly was right. He had fucked up. He figured the way Ellie would look at him when he went over there would be punishment enough.

Faintly down the hall he could hear Angel screeching to their mom about the bathroom mirror and Curly telling them to shut up. Pulling a pillow over his head wasn't enough to drown it all out.

XXX

It was getting dark and the rain had started up again. The dry spell had lasted for weeks, but now it seemed as if it would never stop raining.

Tim had been parked outside of her house going on twenty minutes now. Ellie peeked through her curtains, watching him just sit there, staring forward. She almost felt sorry for him, despite everything that had happened. Maybe it was because of everything that had happened that made her pity him.

There was a knock at her bedroom door and her mom walked in, catching her looking out the window.

"What's he doin' out there?" she asked, sitting on the bed and leaning back, her pregant belly protruding.

"Just sittin'," Ellie said, moving from the floor and sitting next to her mom on the bed.

"What's he want?" Abigail asked, reaching over and stroking Ellie's hair.

Ellie shrugged, pretending it wasn't anything. Honestly, she didn't know what he wanted. He didn't seem the type to apologize for anything he did, no matter what it was.

Abby took Ellie's bruised left arm and held it up so she could see it better. "He play it rough last night?"

Ellie pulled her arm back and lifted her head, staring at the floor. She got up and picked up a sweater lying at the foot of her bed and tugged it on, covering her arms.

"Something like that," she answered, sitting back down.

"Well, darlin', it's just how they are," her mom answered, rubbing her belly thoughtfully. "That's a guy for you. You just gotta play it their way or you end up gettin' hurt."

Ellie rubbed her face, frustrated. She realized, suddenly, why she was drawn to guys like Dally and Tim. She'd never seen a guy treat her mom with any form of respect, at least not after she went to bed with them. Tim and Dally seemed okay, but she had also learned the hard way that it took time for someone's true colors to shine through.

"I ain't surprised, though, with the kind of boys you've been dating," Abby said.

Ellie looked at her, bewildered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"They don't even come to the door, sweetpea," she replied. "You stay out all night with 'em and then they call and hang up the phone without even talkin' to you."

This wasn't helping anything.

"I think Grandma would have a stroke knowin' the things you been doing with these boys," Abby said, rubbing her belly. "She always thought you had more sense than me."

Ellie didn't say anything. She couldn't without screaming. She dropped her head into her hands.

"El, baby, how far did he take it?" Abby asked, stroking Ellie's hair again.

She was struggling not to lose her composure because she didn't want to cry in front of Tim whenever he decided to come to the door, but she was fighting a losing battle.

"I trusted him," she nearly sobbed. "He was different than Dally, but he did me worse."

"That was your first mistake, baby," Abby answered. "There ain't a man in the world you can trust. And they're all the same."

Ellie trusted guys, except they weren't the ones she ended up dating. She was blindsided by Tim, and she was starting to realize just how little she really knew about him. She was horrified to realize that she trusted Dally more than she trusted Tim at this point.

"What do I do?" Ellie asked, sniffing back tears. "He's gonna come up here and wanna talk to me."

"You let him tell you how sorry he is and then you move on. It's how it works," she said.

Ellie cringed. She was speaking from experience. Ellie had seen her mom parade half a dozen guys around, none of which could be considered upstanding citizens. She'd seen her mom with bruises before. Those guys scared Ellie, and she felt sick comparing them to Tim. He was no better than they were.

The doorbell rang and Ellie lowered her head.

"I don't wanna talk to him," she moaned.

"Want me to tell him you ain't home?" Abby asked.

Ellie considered that but decided against it. Tim wasn't the type to leave things unsettled, and she was too afraid he would catch her off-guard when he came back around. She shook her head.

"No. I'll just get it over with," she said, standing up. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to clean herself up.

"Okay, baby, just holler if you need me," Abby said.

There wasn't much her mom could do to make her feel better, but Ellie humored her nonetheless.

"Sure, Mom," she replied, heading for the door.

XXX

It was taking forever for someone to open the door. He felt stupid standing there with a fucking purse in his hand and feeling lousier than he ever thought possible. If he had broken up with her before everything, he never would have lost control with her in the car. She wouldn't have even been there.

He straightened up a bit when he heard the lock slide free, and the door opened a little bit. He was surprised to see Ellie standing there. The first thing he noticed was the cut on her lip.

"Hey," he said, trying to look her in the eye. She wasn't trying to meet his gaze, though.

She didn't say anything, and she didn't do anything. She just stood there, the door propping her up.

"You okay?" he asked.

She finally met his gaze, and he didn't know what to make of the look in her eyes.

"You tell me," she said, coldly.

Tim needed to apologize, but the right words weren't coming to him. He hated that he had done something he actually had to apologize for.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Out here's fine," she said, stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind her. "My mom's inside."

He waited to see what she was going to do, and then sat beside her on the porch, only to stand back up again and pace back and forth in front of her. The overhang from her her house wasn't wide enough to cover him and the rain was really starting to come down, but he hardly noticed it. He didn't know what to say, and he hated himself for it.

"Are you going to hold that all day?" she asked.

He stopped pacing long enough to look at her, confused. She nodded at his hand, and he looked down at her purse. The patchwork and bright colors were too cheery for this scene, and he handed it to her quickly. He felt like he was caught stealing red-handed.

"I didn't take nothin'," he said.

She set it beside her on the porch. "I believe you."

Christ, he didn't know what to say to her. She seemed okay. She was quiet, but it wasn't like that was out of the blue. Not knowing what to do in that moment, he lit up a cigarette.

"Just say something," she said, looking at him.

"I lost it last night, Ellie," he said. "I don't fucking do that."

"But you did," she said, her voice small.

He took a long drag and tried to swallow that. It wasn't like they hadn't already slept together, but he knew this was different. He crossed a line and there wasn't any going back. At least he couldn't imagine a way back, and she'd be dumber than him to allow it.

"I'm sorry I did," he told her, trying to sound as genuine as possible. He was sorry, but he didn't have much experience telling people so. "It's just ... Monty ..."

"Was your best friend and now he's gone?" she asked, finishing his statment. "I get it, Tim. I'm sorry it happened to him."

He stopped pacing and sat down next to her on the step. She wasn't looking at him. He touched her arm, and she flinched, pulling away from him.

"Please, don't," she said, standing up. "You've done enough."

Not knowing what else to do, he stood up and lit another cigarette. His back was to her, but he could feel her staring at him.

"I can't do this anymore," she said. He turned around and she was rubbing her arms like she was cold, despite wearing a sweater in the hot August summer.

"You wanna call us quits?" he asked, making her sure he was understanding her.

He could tell she was trying really hard to hold his gaze as she nodded. It was what he wanted to do a few nights ago but then everything went down with Whitey and then Monty and he didn't. He could let her think it was her idea to break up. After all, there hadn't been anything between them for a long time.

"It never should have gone this far," she said. He couldn't tell if she meant last night, or them period, and that bothered him. He figured she meant it both ways.

"Whatever you want," he said. If it had been a different situation, he would have asked where Dally stood in all of this, but he kept his mouth shut. He figured she didn't give two shits about his pride at this point.

She gave him a cold stare and mimicked him sarcastcally. "Whatever I want. Jesus, Tim." She pushed up her sleeves, showing him the bruises on her forearms. It didn't take him long to realize he'd done that, too. "It didn't seem to matter last night."

He didn't know what to say, so he kept his mouth shut. She pulled her sleeves back down, and he looked down at his hands. He'd rather look at the cuts on his knuckles from Rick and that damn mirror he broke than look at her. The scars that would eventually form on his hands would be enough to remind him of his fuck ups; he didn't need another image of her reminding him of that.

"I told you it was all a bad idea. It's all so stupid," she reminded him. "Was it worth it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, getting angrier by the second but not at her for once.

"Monty's dead 'cause of your stupid gang fight," she continued. She added, "Because of you."

"You think I don't fucking know that?" he hissed, backing away before he did any more damage. "Why in the hell do you think I tried to drink myself stupid last night?"

"Tried?" she snapped. "You did a damn good job of it."

"You weren't supposed to be there last night," he said, by way of excuse. He knew there wasn't an excuse, though, for what he did, but what did she want from him?

"I was just tryin' to make sure you didn't wrap your car around a tree, too," she told him, her voice breaking. "But you were hellbent on making that happen. And you were gonna take me with you."

"I didn't fucking want you there," he all but yelled at her. "You invited yourself."

She stood there and took it, her lips twisted in a strange smile, looking like she was trying not to burst into tears.

"You've got this bad fucking habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You act like you've got some fucking claim on everyone else's business," he accused her. It was too easy to just flip back on her.

She shook her head, her eyes glistening now.

"I wouldn't have been anywhere if you hadn't pulled me into it. I showed up on Prospect because you made me do your work for you," she spat.

"I fucking told you to stop Curly and Rick by walking to fucking Prospect street at midnight?" he asked, incredulous.

"Fine. I was wrong once. But how many times have you been wrong lately? Blame me all you want, I don't have to live with everything you've done. To yourself and to everybody else." She turned her back on him and walked back inside the house.

Why was it so hard to admit he fucked up? He knew he was wrong, but he wasn't usually on this side of things.

"Ellie," he called after her, running up the steps and pushing the door before she had a chance to slam it in his face. She coiled back, almost like she was preparing herself for a blow, and he took a step back, far enough that he was in the rain again. "I'm ... sorry. I am."

She nodded. "You should be." The door shut, and he was left standing on the porch alone.

"Shit," he muttered to himself, turning and headed back for the car. He got in and started up the engine, looking over at her house one last time, but his view was blocked by Steve Randle standing on the sidewalk. The look Steve was giving him was enough, and Tim tore off down the street.

_I'll be your downfall._

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_A/N: We appreciate all of the reviews of the last chapter. Thank you for all of your input and opinion. _

_The next chapter is the last one! _


	20. Hating All of This

**Disclaimer: We do not own, make a profit or claim the characters, settings or anything else you recognize from S.E. Hinton's work The Outsiders. They all belong to her and we just borrow. We also do not own Nickelback's song "Woke Up This Morning."**

_

* * *

_

_I paid my last respects  
__this morning __on an early grave,  
__Already said goodbye,  
__Nothing left to say._

Tim climbed slowly out of Monty's car. It seemed like a long hike up the tiny hill to the cemetery, but suddenly he and Curly were standing there amongst only a handful of people, most of which were his own gang. It was the typical reception for a grease like Monty to be as disrespected in death as he was in life, but it still pissed Tim off. He reached for a cigarette, ignoring the dull ache of his busted knuckles from knocking the ever-loving shit out of Rick Bradley. If he could've killed him and gotten away with it, he certainly would have. He took a drag from his cigarette, deciding it was probably in bad taste to think of murdering somebody at a funeral.

"How d'you think Betsy's holdin' up?" Curly whispered beside him.

Tim looked over at Monty's aunt. She was crying quietly near the casket. It was a simple thing, the cheapest wooden box she could afford. That poor bastard was probably lucky he wasn't just dumped into a big dirt hole in some backyard ceremony. Betsy was probably working her way into a big amount of debt just to have this little shindig. It wasn't like the two of them had any other family to help her out.

Before he could answer Curly, Betsy turned around and glared at him. He stared back at her, knowing full well what was going to happen.

She stalked up to him, brushing the tears off her cheeks. He braced himself for what was to come.

"You no good delinquent," she hissed from between clenched teeth. "You got him twisted up in this whole mess."

Tim shook his head and held his hands up. "Easy, Betsy. I know you're upset and all but -"

"No you don't, Tim," she snapped. "Don't go making excuses for everything you got my sister's only son tied up in. Monty was just a kid!" Her voice cracked when she said his name.

"He was a good man to have around," he replied.

She pointed a shaky finger in his face. "Don't you start talking like all he had was your gang. He was a good boy before you got him involved in this. Without you, he'd be alive and well."

He was getting really sick of everybody turning the blame on him for something he had no control in. Ellie had done the same damn thing.

"Monty was a big boy and he made his own choices," he told her in no uncertain terms.

Betsy slapped him before he could register what she was doing. He stared down at her but said nothing. If that was what made her feel a little better, then she could consider that his condolences. Everyone seemed to forget that Monty was his buddy, too.

"And I don't appreciate burying my 23-year-old nephew, but that's the fact of the matter, ain't it?" She choked back another sob as she turned. Betsy glanced over her shoulder before she walked away. "Make no mistake about it, Tim Shepard. This is _all_ your fault."

He watched her walk away. Curly had heard around town that Betsy was planning on packing up and getting out of Tulsa because of this. It was a wonder she ever came back at all when she wasn't flying around the country, but Tim supposed it was because of Monty being here. Well, she didn't have to worry about that now.

Curly elbowed Tim roughly in the ribs.

"What?" he snapped, looking down at his brother. Curly nodded to his left and Tim followed his gaze.

Ellie was standing at the edge of the gathering, staring at him, with Steve Randle at her side. Tim glanced back at Curly, knowing he was judging his big brother for the split lip she was sporting. Curly said nothing though.

Tim stared back her. She looked better than she had a couple days before. She didn't look so angry or upset. She just looked defeated. _Join the club_, he thought. He glanced over at Steve. If looks could kill, they'd be burying Tim next to Monty right about now. He knew one day he would open his front door and Steve would be on his porch, ready to beat the tar out of him. And Tim would let him. His condolences, after all.

XXX

"I still don't know why you wanted to come here," Steve muttered beside her.

She broke Tim's glare from across the cemetery.

"Monty was my friend," she said. "I think he was, anyway."

"Yeah, well, Monty ain't here, Tim is," he pointed out.

As if she wasn't well-aware of that fact when she considered coming in the first place.

"Monty was his friend, too," she defended. Steve just muttered something unintelligent.

Ellie had never met Monty's aunt, but she knew who she was. There was something uncomfortable about watching her slap Tim, but there was something that made her feel a lot better herself when Betsy did it. She wished she could have done it herself when he came to her house with that sorry excuse for an apology. If she had the moment back, she'd do a whole lot worse than slap him, though.

She felt bad for him, though, she really did. That didn't excuse what he had done to her, and it certainly didn't make her forget it either, but she couldn't help but stand there feeling sorry for him. All he had in the world was his stupid gang, and here it was, falling apart in front of their eyes. Even though Curly was standing beside him, Ellie knew Tim couldn't ever trust him the same again. She wasn't sure who she felt worse for, though.

She had spent a lot of time trying not to think about what had happened that night but thinking about it anyway. It wasn't her fault; she was still trying to convince herself of that. But it had happened and there wasn't any going back now.

Steve was the only one who knew she was planning on coming to the funeral. She had been scared to ask him to take her, afraid he would think she was stupid for wanting to be there. He had tried to talk her out of it, but he caved and agreed to go with her. It was a lot easier being around Tim when he was standing in the middle of them. Pony may have been her best friend, but there was so much he didn't understand about all of this. So much she didn't want to tell him about it because she knew he would look at her differently. Steve was something else. She trusted him more than anybody else, and if he had kept his mouth shut for this long about what had happened between her and Tim, she knew he wouldn't tell anybody.

"You almost ready to go?" he asked, antsy beside her.

"We'll leave in a little bit," she assured him. It was a poor man's funeral with a preacher standing there near Betsy and the coffin, Bible in hand, looking mighty uncomfortable. Ellie had been to enough funerals to know that not a whole lot would be done. A few words, a prayer and then everyone would leave. It was sad to think that was all his life would come to. She hadn't even known his real name until the preacher said it aloud. _Albert Montgomery._

"Well, we can't stay all day," Steve muttered as they walked a little closer to the casket.

"Why?" she asked. She felt like she was in a daze.

"I just got plans today," he replied.

"With Evie?"

Steve shrugged. "Sure. Something like that."

Tearing her eyes away from the casket, she looked up at him. He was up to something, but she was inclined to let it go. They turned to leave and Tim was standing a little closer, obviously waiting for her to walk away before he came any closer. She tried not to look at him, but she could feel his eyes all over her.

XXX

Tim knew he'd be coming for him. The look on his face at the funeral and the protective stance over Ellie was enough to be sure that Steve Randle wouldn't let this slide by. It was a big brother thing that Tim understood all too well. If anyone - _anyone _- laid a hand on Angela, they'd be dead in their tracks. Steve wasn't her brother, but Tim knew that he was as close as it got for her.

He came alone, which seemed awfully brave to Tim. Luckily for Steve, though, Tim was alone with Curly and Todd. Anymore than that and Tim wouldn't let this go the way it needed to go.

"I've been lookin' for you, asshole," he said, seething.

Todd tensed up, ready for a fight, but Tim gave him a look and he relaxed from it.

"I've got it," Tim said. He looked at Curly who just watched him. There was no expression on the kid's face. He just watched, knowing Tim was about to get what he deserved, and apparently it would be Randle to put him in his place.

Tossing his cigarette aside, Tim walked out onto the lawn, meeting Steve halfway. He squared his shoulders and relaxed his fists. He wasn't used to backing down from a fight and it was killing him.

Steve didn't hesitate. He didn't say a word. He just swung a punch, connecting with Tim's jaw. It nearly felled him, but Tim held his ground. It was his own rule to never go down on the first hit.

"You piece of shit," Steve accused, the hits coming in harder now. Tim fought back only enough to make Steve feel like it was worth his time. He was going to let the kid win even though Tim knew he could whip him easily.

Steve knocked him into the side of the house, clamping his shirt in both of his fists. From the corner of his eye, he could see Todd standing ready on the porch, Curly a few steps behind him.

"She tell you everything?" Tim asked, sick and tired.

"She didn't have to," Steve told him.

He let go with one hand and flicked out a switchblade. It didn't even faze Tim, but Todd hopped off the porch with Curly right behind him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cut your dick off."

"Back the fuck off, Randle. You don't want to do anything stupid," Todd warned him.

Tim held his hand up to keep Todd back, keeping his eyes on Steve's the whole time.

"One reason," Steve muttered.

Tim replied, "I've got a sister, too."

There was a flash of recognition in Steve's eyes, and he hesitated briefly.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" he asked, holding the blade close to his face.

Tim just stared at him coolly.

Steve let go of his shirt and put the blade away. He backed up a couple of steps and then swung one more punch that knocked Tim to the ground.

"Fuck," he muttered, struggling to get back to his feet. He was met with a crushing blow to his side and then another.

"Stay away from her. You hear me?" Steve warned him. "I don't care if she wants to make nice, don't even look at her."

Tim made sure he was actually finished before he started to pick himself up. Todd reached a hand out to help him up. Tim refused and stood on his own, cursing under his breath.

"Man, what the hell was that about?" Todd asked, looking at him like he was nuts. "I've never seen you go down like that."

"Nothing," Tim replied, wiping blood from his nose and heading toward the house. Curly was standing up on the porch again, looking at him blankly.

"That's who gets to tell me I fucked up," Tim told him.

Curly nodded, approvingly.

XXX

Ellie walked in the house on Ponyboy's heels, just getting back from the movie she owed him from weeks ago. They walked in and stopped to watch the poker game Steve, Soda, Two-Bit and Johnny were playing.

"I'm winnin'," Two-Bit declared.

"Bullshit, Two-Bit," Steve said, tossing his cards down and raking in the peanuts. "I win."

Ellie noticed how banged up his hands were, and there was no mistaking what Steve had been doing. She stared at his fists and felt like hugging him. She didn't even stop to think about how Tim must have looked, especially when Steve wasn't sporting anything worse than a bruised jaw and a split lip which nearly matched her own.

He met her gaze and she mouthed to him, "Thank you."

Steve just winked at her and dealt the new hand.

"Hey, Ellie," Two-Bit said. "We were just discussin' how we think it's a real good idea that Dally's in jail since you broke up with Tim and all."

She looked at Steve for a split second, scared maybe they knew something, but he shook his head subtly. She had already dealt with the cut on her lip. They believed Jimmy popped her for talking back.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, messing up his hair.

"Hey now!" Two-Bit warned playfully. "Watch it."

She sat down, and Steve dealt her in.

"I'm swearin' off boys for awhile," she said.

"That's about the smartest thing you've ever said," Steve said.

"I'll believe it until Dally gets out," Two-Bit said. "Anyone wanna bet me?"

Ellie glared at him and kicked him from under the table.

"I'd bet my next paycheck on it," Soda said.

"It ain't about the money, Soda, 'cause it's a given they're getting' back together. It's how _fast_ it happens," Two-Bit explained. He looked at her, acting like he was sizing her up. "Less than 24 hours after he gets out."

"It ain't gonna happen," she declared, trying not to die from embarrassment.

"I'll bet you my next paycheck it won't happen," Steve said. She looked at him and he looked like he would personally lock her in her bedroom if she ever got back together with Dally.

"What are y'all bettin' on?" Darry asked, fresh from the shower.

"On Ellie and Dal getting back together when he gets sprung from jail," Two-Bit told him. "Me and Soda say yes, but Steve doesn't seem to think so."

"I think I get a say in this," she declared.

Two-Bit looked at her. "Hush, El, this is important."

"Tell 'em to quit ganging up on me," she pleaded, looking at Darry.

From across the table, there was a small voice who said, "Eight hours."

She turned her head and looked at Johnny sitting there. Her jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me? Johnny!"

Johnny was blushing but was grinning like a goon. She could tell Pony was trying to stifle a laugh.

Darry clamped his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently.

"Sorry, El, I gotta get in on this," Darry said, a smile on his lips. "But I don't think it's even gonna take that long."

"Y'all are mean. He'll end up back with Sylvia before he ends up with me," she said.

"So, that means you want to get back with him?" Two-Bit ask.

She stuttered around an answer. At the moment she didn't want to get back together with him, but she knew how she got when he got close to her. They were trying to get a rise out of her, so she played dumb instead.

"Not a chance," she said.

Steve threw his cards down and said, "Don't you guys remember what he did? Fuck him. She doesn't need anymore of that."

"They're just kidding, Steve," she said, gently.

"Yeah, man. Don't have a cow," Soda said. "El don't mind none."

It was all a joke to them, but she knew how he felt. She couldn't help that the rest of them didn't know, and that he had to be the one to clean up after her messes.

"How 'bout somebody starts betting on the game?" Two-Bit suggested, studying his cards. "I'd hate to see how Steve got those bloody knuckles yesterday since he ain't tellin' us nothin' about it."

"'Cause there ain't nothin' to tell," Steve said, picking up his cards.

Ellie quickly shuffled the cards in her hands. "Well, I hope y'all are feeling lucky tonight, 'cause I sure am."

She tossed in a few peanuts.

Two-Bit wiggled his eyebrows. "I'll call your bluff, kiddo."

He tossed in his peanuts to match her bet and the tension seemed to melt away as the others folded or joined the game. As Darry put some leftovers in the oven for dinner, everything started to feel normal again.

XXX

Tim's feet were propped up on the rickety old desk in front of him and he leaned back in his chair, his hands folded behind his head. Curly was leaned on the desk, tossing card after card, trying to land them in the wastepaper basket a few feet away.

"Where's the guys?" he asked.

"It's just Todd coming today," Tim said.

"You got something big planned for the Tigers?" Curly asked. Tim could feel the excitement radiating off him at the thought of settling a big score like this. They had backed off since everything happened, but Curly knew shit would heat up again. Tim wouldn't leave it be.

"I've been kicking something around," Tim assured him.

"You got something big for me to do?" Curly asked, though it came out sounding like a statement. He was probably sure Tim had Curly in mind as he reorganized the hierarchy of the gang.

Tim gave him a tight smile as he heard the side door of the warehouse slam shut.

"Hey," Todd greeted with a nod to both of them. Tim didn't miss the smug look on Curly's face as he walked in.

"Tim's got big plans for the Tigers," he informed Todd, as though he already knew what the plans were.

Todd raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? Like what?"

"I'll tell you on the way," Tim said, pulling his feet off the desk and grabbing his keys as he stood.

Curly was following them to the door, and Tim turned around.

"You ain't comin', kid," he said.

Curly's eyes widened. "What? Why not? What about the big plans you had for me?"

"I do have big plans for you," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him a little closer. "I want you to go home and keep an eye on Angel."

Curly opened his mouth but no words came out. He just stared dumbly at Tim, disbelief all over his face.

"Sorry, kid," Tim said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "You gotta earn it back."

"But, Tim ..."

The door slammed shut behind Tim as his brother seemed to realize he was being passed over for second in command once again. Trust was impossible to regain with him. Once you blew it, it was over. Tim never forgot.

_I've been a loser all my life,  
__I'm not about to change._

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_A/N: The end! This is the last chapter of Front Page Drive-In News. Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed, we appreciate your interest so much and we do it all for you. This is all we have going for now, but we will start working on our next story, One Headlight, very soon. If we survive this next quarter (the last for one of us) of school, hopefully we'll have something for you soon! _

_Once again, thank you so much. _

_xoxox_

_Kori and Katie_


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